Collocations are words that naturally go together. Using the right combination is one of the quickest ways to sound more natural at work, because native speakers hear them as one unit. These are the collocations that come up again and again in meetings, projects and reports.
Meetings
- hold a meetingto organise and run a meeting“We’ll hold a meeting with the client next week.”
- set the agendato decide what will be discussed“Let’s set the agenda before Friday.”
- raise an issueto bring up a problem or topic“I’d like to raise an issue about the budget.”
- reach an agreementto agree after discussion“We finally reached an agreement on the price.”
Projects and deadlines
- meet a deadlineto finish on time“We need to meet the deadline for the report.”
- miss a deadlineto finish late“We can’t afford to miss another deadline.”
- fall behind scheduleto be later than planned“The project has fallen behind schedule.”
- launch a projectto start a new project officially“They launched the project in March.”
Decisions and problems
- make a decisionto decide“We need to make a decision by Monday.”
- address a concernto deal with a worry“This plan addresses the client’s main concern.”
- find a solutionto solve a problem“We’re working hard to find a solution.”
- take responsibilityto accept that something is your job“She took responsibility for the delay.”
Results and money
- hit a targetto reach a goal“We hit our sales target this quarter.”
- cut coststo reduce spending“We need to cut costs without cutting quality.”
- make a profitto earn more than you spend“The new product made a profit in its first year.”
- close a dealto finalise an agreement“We closed the deal last night.”
A tip from class
Learn collocations as complete phrases, not single words. If you learn "deadline", learn "meet a deadline" and "miss a deadline" with it. That way, the natural combination is what comes out when you speak.
Want to use these naturally, under pressure?
Knowing a phrase is one thing. Using it automatically, in the real situation, is another. That’s what we practise in class, with simulations based on your own needs.
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