IELTS: Idioms/ Collocations/ Phrasal Verbs
IDIOMS
Idioms in IELTS speaking can be really helpful to increase your score as long as you use them properly. Words, phrases or expressions that have different meaning than the actual words in the phrases are known as idioms.
The criteria for band 7 in IELTS speaking for lexical resource mentions ‘uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary’ which clearly means that your examiner will be easily able to spot if you use idioms.
You have to be careful when using idioms in your speaking test because their meaning cannot be taken literally. It is important that you learn to use them at the right time and context to use them naturally.
For instance: once in a blue moon (meaning: happening very rarely)
She visits the library once in a blue moon.
COLLOCATIONS
Collocation refers to words that are used together as a set phrase and is an important part of English language. There are various types of collocations which may be strong or weak.
The band descriptor for IELTS lexical resource for band 7 states ‘uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation’. It is highly suggested that when you learn a new word, you should also be aware of the collocations: words that can be used with it. You are learning various phrases when you learn collocations. A common way to have a better understanding of collocation is reading which will help you notice words that can be used together.
For example, we use ‘tall building’ and not ‘high building’.
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are phrases that usually consist of a verb plus a preposition or an adverb and have a different meaning when put together than words when used on its own.
Phrasal verbs can be used in IELTS speaking or also in writing sometimes however it is important that you use them naturally.
A common difficulty with using phrasal verbs is that the words can change according to the change in tense or context. Additionally, phrasal verbs can sometimes have more than just one meaning.
For instance: ‘My car broke down.’ (Meaning: My car stopped moving.)
‘He broke down when he heard the news.’ (Meaning: He couldn’t control his emotions and started crying when he heard the news.)
