Collocation Links: a vocabulary activity
Directions for the teacher:
Step 1 – Select a set of collocations to review. You need as many collocations as there are
students. (For very large groups, you may either create doubles or do the activity in groups of
10-12.) The collocations can be based on a theme, such as commuting. Suggested set:
morning commute
evening commute
commute by
work from home
commute from
have a long commute
be in a carpool
take the commuter rail
buy a commuter rail pass
commuter train
commute to
have the option of telecommuting
[See page 3 for cards.]
Step 2 – Hand each student a card with an assigned collocation. Give students 1-2 minutes to
write a sentence using their collocation on the back of the card.
Model sentences:
Student A [morning commute] - My morning commute takes 30 minutes.
Student B [be in a carpool] - I like being in a carpool because we talk as we drive.
Student C [have a long commute] - I’ll only have a long commute if I really like the job.
Student D [commute by] – It’s convenient and less expensive to commute by train.
Step 3 – Students must now find a partner and form a short dialogue with the two sentences
written down. Only one additional sentence may be added to help form the “script”. (You can
play the role of a student if you have an odd number in the clas.)
Model dialogues:
Student A – My morning commute takes 30 minutes.
Student B – Maybe you should join our carpool. I like being in a carpool because we
talk as we drive.
Student C – I’ll only have a long commute if I really like the job.
Student D – A long commute isn’t bad if you take the train. It’s convenient and less
expensive to commute by train.
Step 4 – Pairs should now form groups of four. They must create a larger dialogue using all
four sentences written down. Explain that the previous dialogue can be kept and added to or
completely modified, but all four written sentences must “link together” to form a conversation
with each member of the group speaking.
By Jennifer Lebedev
Retrieved from: http://englishwithjennifer.wordpress.com
Collocation Links: a vocabulary activity
Model dialogue:
Student C – I’ll only have a long commute if I really like the job.
Student D – A long commute isn’t bad if you take the train. It’s convenient and less
expensive to commute by train.
Student A – My morning commute takes 30 minutes, but I’m thinking of joining a
carpool to save money and enjoy the ride.
Student B –I like being in a carpool because we talk as we drive. I don’t mind the long
commute.
Step 5 – You may stop the linking activity when groups of four have been formed, or you can
challenge students to form larger groups of 5 or 6. When the linking ends, have groups role play
their dialogue for the class. As the class listens, challenge them to note which collocations they
heard in each dialogue.
By Jennifer Lebedev
Retrieved from: http://englishwithjennifer.wordpress.com
Collocation Links: a vocabulary activity
Copy and cut out the cards.
morning commute
be in a carpool
evening commute
take the commuter
rail
commute by
buy a commuter
rail pass
work from home
commuter train
commute from
commute to
have a long commute
have the option of
telecommuting
By Jennifer Lebedev
Retrieved from: http://englishwithjennifer.wordpress.com