About the Macmillan Collocations Dictionary

What are collocations and why are they important?

Collocations are words that are often used together, such as utterly fascinating or concerted effort. They can be difficult to learn because they are not always predictable, and a collocate for one word does not always work as a collocate for a near synonym of that word. For example, we don't say utterly interesting, nor do we say hard effort or voice a worry.

Collocation is a central feature of language and being able to produce natural word combinations is an indication of fluency. Collocation also contributes to meaning. Most common words have more than one meaning, and we use the surrounding context to indicate which meaning is intended. Collocation plays a big part in this process.

Key features of the Collocations Dictionary

The Macmillan Collocations Dictionary was created to help upper intermediate to advanced learners of English write more natural and idiomatic English.

Key features of the Collocations Dictionary include the following:

• Collocations are presented for over 4,500 carefully selected key words
• The content focuses on language learners' productive needs
• Within each entry, collocations are grouped in semantic sets
• Special focus is placed on collocations that are frequent in academic and professional writing
• The content incorporates examples for each semantic set to show how collocations are used in context
• Extra usage boxes are shown with grammatical notes, synonyms and alternative expressions that are frequently used

How was the dictionary created?

To produce the Macmillan Collocations Dictionary, we used a corpus of almost 2 billion words, with state-of-the-art software to identify key collocations. But what makes the content special is not just the data it is derived from, but its clear focus on students' productive needs. We don't just ask: 'Do these two words often go together?' but 'What meaning do you want to express, and what is the most natural and typical way of doing it?'

For example, the adjective that goes most often with the word argument is strong. But you wouldn't say 'I had a strong argument with my boyfriend last night'. People have heated arguments or even big arguments when they're quarrelling with one another. But strong relates to the other meaning of argument: you can say there are strong (or convincing or compelling or persuasive) arguments for using new technology in the classroom. What matters is the meaning you want to convey – and this is where the Macmillan Collocations Dictionary provides all the help you need. Whether you're having a blazing row or arguing forcefully for your point of view, the dictionary gives you the tools to pick the best combination with confidence.