{"id":4921,"date":"2026-04-22T06:42:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T06:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/?p=4921"},"modified":"2026-07-29T14:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T14:25:46","slug":"pte-collocation-list-essential-word-combinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/pte-collocation-list-essential-word-combinations\/","title":{"rendered":"PTE Collocation List: Essential Word Combinations You Must Learn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Targeting 79+ score in PTE?<\/strong> Learning collocations can help you score that. Collocations are natural word combinations, such <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as &#8216;make a decision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,&#8217; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;strong evidence<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,&#8217; or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;heavy traffic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&#8217; Using them correctly helps your responses sound fluent and natural, which the PTE scoring system directly rewards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, many test-takers focus on learning individual vocabulary words, assuming that more words = a higher score. But they don\u2019t know how to combine them, so they end up with a score lower than expected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>To make sure this doesn\u2019t happen with you, first understand:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What collocations are and how they work<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How they are formed and used in real sentences<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which collocations are most important for PTE tasks<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to apply them naturally in speaking, writing, reading, and listening<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you understand this, practice the PTE collocation list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Are Collocations in PTE?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When students hear the word <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">collocations<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they often assume it\u2019s just another vocabulary topic, something to memorise and move on from. But in reality, collocation words show how English is actually used, and more importantly, how PTE evaluates your performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>A collocation is a natural combination of words that native speakers use without thinking. These combinations are not random or always logical. They are simply \u201cwhat sounds right\u201d in English, same as what sounds natural in your native language.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Why You Can\u2019t (And Should Not) Ignore Them<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collocations are essential because PTE evaluates how <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">natural<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your English sounds, not just whether it is correct. If your word combinations are unnatural, your fluency, writing quality, and overall score are affected, even if your grammar is right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They also help you respond faster and more confidently during the exam, as you start using language in natural chunks instead of building sentences word by word. Without collocations, your preparation is incomplete.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Learning PTE Collocation Words Directly Improves Speaking\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning collocations improves speaking test scores in PTE by helping you speak more naturally and with better flow. Instead of thinking about individual words, you start using ready-made word combinations, which reduces hesitation and makes your speech smoother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also helps you organise your ideas more clearly, as common expressions come automatically while speaking. As a result, your responses sound more structured and confident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, speaking in natural word groups improves pronunciation and rhythm, which are important for scoring. Overall, collocations make your speech faster, clearer, and more aligned with how English is actually used, leading to a better speaking score.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Collocations Improve Writing in PTE<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collocations make your writing sound more natural, formal, and academic, something the PTE scoring system values. They help you express ideas more precisely, improve sentence flow, and reduce awkward phrasing. This leads to better scores in vocabulary, coherence, and overall writing quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Collocations Improve Reading in PTE<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In reading tasks, especially Fill in the Blanks, collocations help you recognise which words naturally fit together. Instead of guessing, you can quickly identify the correct answer based on familiar word combinations, improving both accuracy and speed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Collocations Improve Listening in PTE<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collocations help you understand spoken English in chunks rather than word by word. This makes it easier to follow the audio, predict upcoming words, and capture correct answers in tasks like Fill in the Blanks, leading to better accuracy and confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Common PTE Collocation List in 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are 25 million collocation words in the PTE Academic list. You cannot memorise all. The better approach is to understand how they are made and learn only the common ones.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Verb + Noun Pattern<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pattern combines a verb and a noun to form a collocation word.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">make a decision<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">take action<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conduct research<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">solve a problem<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">draw a conclusion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reach an agreement<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">provide information<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raise awareness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">face challenges<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meet expectations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gain experience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">achieve success<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">address an issue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">play a role<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">build confidence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">develop skills<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">express opinions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">form a hypothesis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">collect data<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">analyse results<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each noun \u201cprefers\u201d a specific verb. Once you start recognising these patterns, you can predict them automatically.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b>Adjective + Noun Pattern<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pattern is important for PTE writing and speaking tests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strong evidence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">significant impact<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">major issue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">key factor<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rapid growth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">steady increase<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">slight decrease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy traffic<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high demand<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">low cost<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">environmental problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">economic growth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">academic performance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scientific research<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">public opinion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">global warming<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">natural resources<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b>Verb + Adverb Pattern<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are especially useful in essay writing and speaking tasks where you need to show clarity and confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strongly agree<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strongly disagree<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">highly recommend<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deeply concerned<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">widely accepted<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">clearly show<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">significantly improve<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rapidly increase<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gradually decrease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">closely related<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Practical Tips: How to Remember PTE Collocation Words\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are genuinely aiming to improve your PTE score, especially targeting 79+, the way you prepare collocations matters just as much as what you learn. Relying on random PDFs or long, PTE colocation lists might feel the right way, but it rarely helps you in the real exam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>To make your preparation more effective, here are a few practical habits you can follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Build a personal collocation notebook:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Instead of copying long lists, note down only the collocations you encounter during practice, along with one example sentence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Learn in small batches:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Focus on 10\u201315 collocations a day and revise them regularly instead of trying to cover everything at once.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use them in daily speaking practice:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Even outside PTE prep, try forming sentences using new collocations to improve recall under pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Notice patterns while reading or listening:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Whenever you practise PTE materials, actively look for word combinations instead of individual words.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Revisit and reuse:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Repetition is key. Use the same collocations across different tasks (speaking, writing, reading) to make them stick.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How Language Academy Helps You<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our PTE mock tests help you understand not just what to learn, but where and when to use it. Practising with AI-scored mock tests also gives you a clear picture of how your usage impacts your score, especially in the speaking and writing sections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combined with section-wise preparation strategies, this approach ensures you are not just improving your vocabulary, but learning the natural, exam-ready English that PTE rewards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to move beyond average scores in PTE, collocational words are very important. Not just scoring, they help you be fluent in speaking, writing, listening, and reading English.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/mock-test\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4768 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LA-Blog-banners-15-01-26-9.jpg\" alt=\"Take a free Language Academy PTE mock test \u2014 start the test.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LA-Blog-banners-15-01-26-9.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LA-Blog-banners-15-01-26-9-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LA-Blog-banners-15-01-26-9-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LA-Blog-banners-15-01-26-9-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>FAQs<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>1. What is a collocation in PTE?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A natural combination of words commonly used together in English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2. Are collocations important for PTE speaking?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, they improve fluency and make your speech sound natural.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>3.How many collocations should I learn?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 100\u2013200 high-frequency collocations are enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>4. Can collocations improve writing scores?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, they improve vocabulary, coherence, and overall quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>5. Is memorising collocations enough?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No, you must practise using them in real sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Targeting 79+ score in PTE? Learning collocations can help you score that. Collocations are natural word combinations, such as &#8216;make a decision,&#8217; &#8216;strong evidence,&#8217; or &#8216;heavy traffic.&#8217; Using them correctly helps your responses sound fluent and natural, which the PTE scoring system directly rewards. However, many test-takers focus on learning individual vocabulary words, assuming that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_la_meta_desc":"The collocations PTE rewards most, grouped by topic. Natural word pairings lift your fluency and vocabulary scores across both Speaking and Writing tasks.","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pte-preparation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4921"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5124,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4921\/revisions\/5124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languageacademy.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}