Crossword : Collocations in English

Think you know your English inside out? This crossword will put your knowledge of advanced collocations to the test. From verb-noun partnerships to adjective-noun combinations, every clue challenges you to find the word that truly fits. At C1 level, precision matters — getting the meaning right isn’t enough. Can you find the exact word that native speakers would naturally choose?

Grid

Fill in the grid: pick a square, read the clue and type your answer.

Clues

Across

2. system of human communication
8. In that place
10. group of words learned together
11. words that naturally go together
15. joining words that fit together
16. how often a word pair occurs
17. Little in size, opposite of big
18. careful examination of language
19. Are not in short form

Down

1. To a certain or fairly significant extent
3. word that describes a noun
4. To talk into the phone
5. relating to words and vocabulary
6. word linking nouns to other words
7. smooth and natural speech ability
9. all the words known in a language
12. gradual change in word meaning
13. occurring frequently in language
14. Past form of can in reporting
15. sentence divided for emphasis

Answers

Show the answers

Across

2. system of human communication → language
8. In that place → there
10. group of words learned together → chunk
11. words that naturally go together → collocation
15. joining words that fit together → combination
16. how often a word pair occurs → frequency
17. Little in size, opposite of big → small
18. careful examination of language → study
19. Are not in short form → arent

Down

1. To a certain or fairly significant extent → quite
3. word that describes a noun → adjective
4. To talk into the phone → speak
5. relating to words and vocabulary → lexical
6. word linking nouns to other words → preposition
7. smooth and natural speech ability → fluency
9. all the words known in a language → vocabulary
12. gradual change in word meaning → drift
13. occurring frequently in language → common
14. Past form of can in reporting → could
15. sentence divided for emphasis → cleft

To go further on this topic:

Review the lesson · Practice exercises

Previous lesson: Common collocations in English : complete course

Other lessons at this level:

Advanced antonyms in English : complete course Fixed expressions in English : complete course Advanced false friends in English : complete course