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Collocations – Test 1

B2 Upper-intermediate VocabularyEnglish

This B2 vocabulary test checks how well you know common English collocations: verb + noun pairs such as make progress and take action, adjective and adverb combinations such as heavy rain and highly unlikely, and collocations used in a reading text. It suits upper-intermediate learners, exam candidates and teachers who need a quick, printable check of natural word combinations.

Questions
30
Time
30 min
PDF
4 pages
Answer key
Included
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Choose the best option (A, B, C or D) for each question. Choose your answers, then press “Check my answers”.

Part 1: Verb + noun collocations

Choose the verb that forms the correct collocation with the noun.

  1. Sorry, I _____ a mistake when I wrote down your phone number.

  2. Could you _____ me a favour and water my plants while I'm away?

  3. Please _____ attention to the safety instructions before you start.

  4. Liam has _____ a lot of progress with his Spanish this year.

  5. The school needs to _____ action before the problem gets worse.

  6. Hiroshi _____ his word and called me back the same day.

  7. The small bakery _____ a profit for the first time last year.

  8. Several guests _____ a complaint about the noise from the street.

  9. I'd like to _____ this opportunity to thank everyone for their help.

  10. The campaign aims to _____ awareness of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Part 2: Adjective and adverb collocations

Choose the word or sentence that sounds natural to a competent English speaker.

  1. There was _____ rain all night, so some roads were flooded.

  2. I need a cup of _____ coffee to wake me up.

  3. I'm _____ sorry for arriving so late.

  4. We were _____ disappointed when the concert was cancelled.

  5. It is _____ unlikely that the train will arrive on time in this weather.

  6. Maria has _____ hopes of winning the competition.

  7. I'm afraid there's only a _____ chance of finding your wallet.

  8. Which sentence is correct?

  9. Which sentence contains a collocation error?

  10. A: 'I've got a terrible headache.' B: '_____'

Part 3: Collocations in context

Read the text. Then choose the best option for each gap (1–6) and answer the questions about meaning and word families.

When Nadia moved to a new neighbourhood last year, she found it hard to (1) ___ friends. Most of her neighbours were busy with work, and many families in the area were struggling to make ends meet. Nadia noticed an empty piece of land behind the library and decided to (2) ___ a go at turning it into a community garden.

At first, the project (3) ___ a lot of time and energy. Nadia had to get permission from the local council, collect donations and persuade people that the idea was worth trying. Slowly, her efforts began to bear fruit. Around twenty volunteers (4) ___ part in the first planting day, and some of them brought their children.

Two years later, the garden is a (5) ___ success. Families grow their own vegetables, which helps them save money, and older residents teach younger ones how to look after plants. According to Nadia, the garden has also (6) ___ an important role in bringing people together. 'People used to walk past each other without saying hello,' she says. 'Now they stop and chat.'

  1. Gap (1): She found it hard to _____ friends.

  2. Gap (2): She decided to _____ a go at turning it into a community garden.

  3. Gap (3): At first, the project _____ a lot of time and energy.

  4. Gap (4): Around twenty volunteers _____ part in the first planting day.

  5. Gap (5): Two years later, the garden is a _____ success.

  6. Gap (6): The garden has also _____ an important role in bringing people together.

  7. In the text, families 'struggling to make ends meet' are families who…

  8. In the text, 'her efforts began to bear fruit' means her efforts…

  9. Nadia is a very _____ person; she never gives up easily. (DETERMINE)

  10. Each volunteer made a _____ contribution to the project. (SIGNIFY)

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About this test

This B2 vocabulary test checks how well you know common English collocations: verb + noun pairs such as make progress and take action, adjective and adverb combinations such as heavy rain and highly unlikely, and collocations used in a reading text. It suits upper-intermediate learners, exam candidates and teachers who need a quick, printable check of natural word combinations.

Topics covered

Verb + noun collocationsMake, do, take and haveAdjective + noun collocationsAdverb + adjective collocationsIdioms in contextWord families

How to use this test

  1. Download the PDF and print it, or take the test online below.
  2. Answer every question without a dictionary or time pressure.
  3. Check your answers and note the topics you need to review.

Notes for teachers

The test moves from common verb + noun collocations to adjective and adverb combinations, and ends with collocations and idioms in a reading text. It targets typical learner errors such as using do instead of make, using strong instead of heavy, and translating collocations word for word from the first language. As a follow-up, ask students to keep a collocation notebook organised by key verbs, or to write a short paragraph using five collocations they got wrong.