43 Common Adjective Collocations Used in Everyday English [513]

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In this episode, you’ll expand your vocabulary by learning common adjective collocations that fluent speakers use naturally. Choosing the right word collocations makes your English sound more accurate and less translated. I explain how these collocations work so you can use them confidently in both speaking and writing. Collocations are a smart way to improve your English skills.

Perfect for learners preparing for exams like IELTS or TOEFL, or anyone looking to improve their vocabulary for work, travel, or casual conversations. Improve your listening, speaking, and overall English skills with these must-know phrases.

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Transcript

0:09

Hi there, this is Harry. Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language, to help you with your conversational skills, your business English skills, interview skills, whatever your goals are, we're here to help. And for those of you and your friends or family who want one-to-one lessons, well, you know what to do. Just get in touch, www.englishlessonviaskype.com and you can apply for a free trial lesson and we'll be very happy to hear from you and very happy to help you. Okay, so in this particular lesson, it's not actually going to be too advanced. I'm actually using some quite ordinary adjectives and these adjectives all appear in the top 50 simple adjectives in the English language. But the important thing is I'm going to show you how to put them into small phrases and expressions that will help you so you don't get stuck, you're not lost for words and you'll be able to understand when other people use them and perhaps help you to use them yourself. Okay, let's go. So first one, big. So as I said, they're simple adjectives, big. So we can have a big decision or we can make a big decision. Oh, it's a big decision to leave your job now when we're about to go into a recession. Somebody can be a big eater, a big drinker or a big spender. But if you're a big eater, it means you eat a lot at every meal. A big drinker is not a good thing to be. Oh, he's a really big drinker. I mean, he goes out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I don't know how he can afford it, but really, it's not so healthy for him. A big drinker. Or you could use it in the negative when somebody says, would you like to come out for a few beers? Ah, I'm not such a big drinker. I might join you later on. Big ideas and big plans. Oh, I've got big ideas for this house. I really think this is a wonderful house that we can put our own mark, stamp our own authority on this so people can see exactly what we can do. We'll design it really well. Big ideas, big plans. And it's always good to have big ideas and big plans. Who knows, some days, someday you'll be able to put them into operation. Big grin. Well, a big grin is like a, as they call it, grinning like a Cheshire cat. So when somebody has a big grin on their face, they're very happy about something. Somebody might say, oh, look at him. He looks like the cat who got the cream. He's got a big grin on his face. I wonder what the good news is. So a big grin, a big smile from ear to ear. Big money. Wow. It must have cost big money to buy that property. Look at the land. There must be easily two hectares. What is he going to do with all of that? Really big money. Or if you're walking past a new development in your high street, beautiful offices, beautiful architecture, well laid out. Wow, big money went into that. So you can see they've no expense spared. Everything looks really, really wonderful. Look at the marble that they've used in that hallway. So big money. Okay, so you've got the general idea. So the next adjective is easy. Again, a simple adjective, easy. So we can use it like an easy day or an easy week. Oh, I had an easy day yesterday. The boss was away. So as you know what they say, when the boss is away, the mice will play. Yeah, so we all had a bit of fun and a bit of relaxation. I'm going to have an easy week next week because I'm actually on holidays. I'm not going anywhere, but I think I'll just stay at home and relax and chill out. Easy money. Everybody likes to think they could earn or get easy money, but really there's no such thing. And that's exactly how we might use that expression. There's no such thing as easy money. Means you have to work for every penny you get. If somebody tells you that there is easy money, it's usually false or probably not legal. So there's no such thing as easy money. An easy target. Well, when somebody is an easy target, it means they're standing out there and somebody is going to come and criticize them. Politicians can often be described as easy targets. They stand up, they make certain announcements, they make some mistakes from time to time, and therefore they are easy targets for criticism. Or the bosses are easy targets for criticism when things don't go quite right in the business. They are an easy target. Yeah, so we often think, well, why would I want to be a politician? Why would I want to be in the limelight? I'll be an easy target for all that criticism. I think I'll keep my head down. Next, good. Okay, so lots of ways we can use this. Good man. Or a good man. He's a good man. He's got a good heart. He really knows how to look after people. Good deal. Ah, I got a really good deal on my laptop. I think that shop is closing down. Anyway, I went in and I offered the guy 200 euro less than was on the ticket and he sold it to me. Wow, it's wonderful. It's a great model. A good deal. Good value. Often we use this with good value for money. Oh, the holiday was really good value for money. We got all inclusive, mean every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We couldn't move at the end of the week. I think it was a little bit too much, but it was really good value for money. Good chance. There's a good chance I'll get that job. There's a good chance they'll call me for an interview. There's a good chance I'm going to get really good marks in my final exams because I really did a good thesis and I defended it very well. Good chance. And finally, good cry. I sat down and had a good cry. When everybody had left the house and I was thinking about my poor mother that had passed away, I sat down and I had a good cry. So I cried myself. Nobody was around. Nobody could hear me. I had a good cry. Okay, next, high. And again, an easy, simple adjective, high. So we can talk about high level, high degree, high rate. So there's a high level of inflation in the country at the moment. There's a high degree of anxiety among the staff as to what's going to happen. High rates of interest in the banks if you want to borrow money. Okay, so that's all high, but it's all negative. High level of inflation, negative. High degree of uncertainty, negative. And a high rate of interest rates, extremely negative. High standard. I set high standards for myself. So everything I do, I want to do very well. I want to do better than I did it before. And I want to do it in a way that people will be proud of me. And I, of course, will be proud of myself. So I set high standards. Hotels can set high standards of service. Companies try to set high standards of service for their customers and clients. High society. Oh, he's really moving in high society now since he got that promotion. He's rubbing shoulders with all the bosses and the executive directors. He really feels he's cool, yeah, and he's driving around in that extra special car of his. I'm a little bit jealous, I think. Yeah, so he's in high society. High priority. We can mark certain work that we do as high priority. It's something we really, really have to start. And more importantly, we have to really, really finish it. So it's high priority. So when you sit down at the beginning of the week with your to-do list, at the top of the list should be those pieces of work, the to-do things that are really high priority, the most important. High wind, we can expect high winds blowing at such and such a speed. And they may not be a hurricane force, but they're strong, stronger than a gale, but really high winds. High winds sweeping across the country. High winds bound to bring down some power lines, causing some electrical faults and power outages, or indeed some trees may fall. So high winds. And then high alert. The country is in a state of high alert because of terrorism or on a state of high alert because of the weather conditions, expecting snowstorms or blizzards or floods or whatever it might be. So they have these codes of like traffic lights. So the country is on a state of high alert. Okay, so the next adjective is light. Yeah. We can have a light meal. So it's usually a snack, a light meal before we go to work in the morning, a light meal when we come in the evening if we're not so hungry. He can be a light smoker or a light eater or a light drinker. Earlier on, we talked about big, so here's the bit of an opposite. A light smoker means he smokes a cigarette once in a blue moon. A light eater tends to eat small meals on a regular basis. And a light drinker, ah, he'll have an occasional beer with his friends if he's out with them in the evening or maybe it's a really warm day during the summer. He's a light drinker. He's a light sleeper, meaning he will wake up at the least sound. I'm a light sleeper. If there's a cat making noise outside, if the wind blows or the windows rattle or something happens, I'm bound to wake up. I'm a very light sleeper. So a light sleeper is somebody who wakes up at the least sound possible. Yeah, the key in the door, something falling off the table. Yeah, I'll wake up a light sleeper. Light music or light reading. When you're working, perhaps you'd like to have some light music on in the background, not big heavy rock, not some big symphony orchestra, but something peaceful and light that you can relax to or just takes your mind off things when you're doing some work. Or light reading. Now you can use this something sarcastically when somebody gives you this big, massive volume of casework to look at. You say, oh, some light reading for the weekend. Yeah. But literally, light reading might be a very easy book. For example, one of the Agatha Christie books that I've started to read again, I would describe those as very light reading. They're not so sophisticated. The English in them is very good. The plots are good, but I would consider those to be light reading. But as I said, you can use it in a fairly sarcastic way where you say, oh, you give me this big, big document to read. And wow, wow, it's going to take me forever. Some light reading that is. And then lastly, for that light breeze or light rain. So a light breeze is just a gentle breeze. You're walking along. You don't need a jacket or a jumper, but there's a nice light breeze to keep the air cool so you're not so hot when you're walking. Or light rain. It could be a light rain shower. It lasts only a couple of minutes, just a sprinkling of rain water, but nothing so heavy and it's not going to make you in any way wet at all. So light breeze or light rain. And the next adjective is little. Okay, so we can, again on the theme of easy to know adjectives, we can have a little boy or a little girl. So little by age, little by size, usually some little toddler or some very, very young boy under the age of four or five, a little boy, a little girl. Little things. We have an expression, little things mean a lot. So sometimes it's not so important to buy somebody big, big, big presents. They like to get them. But little things from time to time. A cake. Yeah? A little small box of chocolates, a bunch of flowers. Doing the hoovering, doing the cooking, bringing a cup of tea to your partner. These are all the little things that make a difference. A little laugh or a little smile? Ah, when he told the joke, I had a little laugh to myself because I remember a similar situation happening to me. Or when he told me the story, there was a little smile on my face because, yeah, it reminded me of times when I used to have some fun or when I did something similar. So a little laugh or a little smile. And then finally, in this section, your little finger, yeah, the smallest finger on your hand. And we have an expression in English, he or she, talking about usually sons or daughters or even wives, have you wrapped around their little finger, meaning they will get you to do anything, absolutely anything that they want. You will do anything they wish because you're wrapped around their little finger, yeah? Or we can also say the expression, he wouldn't lift his little finger to help you, meaning he's lazy or he's just not going to help anybody. So he wouldn't lift his little finger to help you. Next adjective, new, N-E-W, new. So we can have new hope that something is going to happen, new confidence in the economy when things start to improve, new optimism spreading among the people as things become a little better and the gloom and the doom and gloom begins to lift. So new hope, new confidence, new optimism. A new arrival, a new arrival in the family. The dog had a litter of pups. That's a new arrival. Your son or daughter presents you with your first granddaughter or grandson, a new arrival in the family. Or indeed, if it's something very simple, you go past your favourite clothing shop or boutique and have a big sign, new arrivals, new summer arrivals, new winter collection. Yeah, new arrivals. We can have a new experience and often we like that. I mean, when you get to a certain age, it's not so often you get a new experience. So you might decide to go ice skating. Oh, that's a new experience for me. Or you might watch a sci-fi movie because it's not something that you usually watch. That could be a new experience, something you haven't tried before. And then finally, in this section, to have new blood. Okay, now, new blood typically means a fresh face in the office. It's good to have some new blood around the office. These people have been working here for years. Somebody coming in for the first time, new ideas, fresh ideas. You never know. We might be able to improve the business somewhat. So new blood. Everybody looks forward to some new blood. Of course, if you have to go for a blood transfusion, perhaps somebody is sick and they need to have some transfusion of blood. That's new blood. But let's stay away from the gory parts of that and just focus on the new blood in a football team, the new blood in a football club, new manager, new players, something that will improve the past performances. Okay, next adjective, real, R-E-A-L, real. So we can talk about the real world. Often people say, get into the real world. Come and join us in the real world. Don't be sitting up there in your ivory tower thinking you know it all when in fact you don't. Or something happens and they get a sharp jolt of reality. So they walk out in the street and they find they've got a parking ticket. Ha ha, welcome to the real world. Welcome to our world. A real job. So somebody might be slagging somebody by saying, don't you think it's time you got a real job? Ah, don't you think it's time you got a real job? Something where you actually have to lift a finger or break into a sweat or do something that the rest of us do from time to time? A real job. Real feelings. So when we have real feelings, we're really sensitive to the situation. I actually think that son of ours has got some real feelings. I think I saw him crying at that movie the other night to have real feelings. So not everything's a joke, not everything's a laugh. You have to have some real feelings, empathy with other people who have difficulties. Real choice. Do I have a real choice? The boss told me I can either stay here at work until midnight tonight or come in early tomorrow, but he wants that done by midday tomorrow. So do I have a real choice? No, I don't. Yeah, I have to just do it. And then we have this expression where we criticize somebody and we feel somebody is not really with it or they're really annoying. Oh, he's a real jerk. I mean, that guy, what does he think he is? Does he think he's better than us? So when somebody says something a little bit derogatory or criticizes you or asks you to do something in a not pleasant way, oh, look at him. What a jerk. A real jerk. I feel like a real jerk, honey. Meaning a real loser. Okay, and then finally, we've got the adjective strong. As I said, all of these adjectives are not so difficult. They're in the top 50 of the most used and well-known, but the phrases should help you. So how do we use strong? Strong feelings. So if you've got really strong feelings about something, you let people know. I don't want that development to take place so close to the school. I don't want the company to move 10 kilometers further east or west, because how am I going to get there? So you've got really strong feelings or strong opinions about it. Strong desire. When you have a strong desire, it's a deep wish to do something. I have a strong desire to do some more study. I have a strong desire just to start my own business. There's a strong argument in favor of doing nothing. So when we have a problem, people are putting forward all sorts of suggestions how we should resolve the problem. You can say, well, there's actually a strong argument to do nothing. Just sit back and wait and see what happens. Somebody will move first and then we can see what the alternatives are. So there's a strong argument and it's my strong belief that we shouldn't do anything. A strong chance or a strong possibility. There's a strong chance of heavy rain tonight. There's a strong possibility that it will rain heavily tonight according to the weather forecast. Oh, he speaks with a very strong accent. He has a nice speaking voice, but he speaks with a very strong accent. He'll have to soften that accent if he's going to become an actor. Yes? A strong accent. And then finally, strong coffee. Oh, yes. When you really need it, it's the best thing, the thing to pick you up. Start your day with a cup of strong coffee. Yeah, so a little bit of a hangover from the night before, strong coffee. A little bit of a shock, something you're just trying to get over, strong coffee. Something to keep you going in the afternoon when you're trying to get that contract written or to get that work finished, strong coffee. Okay, so hopefully I've given you a flavor for all of those normal everyday adjectives and some very typical expressions that we use with them. You can practice those and hopefully introduce them into your speech. They're not difficult. It's just a question of trying to remember them and trying to use them. So as always, thanks very much for listening. If you need to contact me, you can do so on www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Happy to hear from you. Happy to see you. And be very happy if you can join me for the next lesson.