Verb collocations | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 |

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[Verb collocations #8]

Task (1): Search for the verbs catch, grab, and take. Give one example (from the corpus) of each where the meaning is close to "capture". (Remember that you can search for any form of the verbs.)
Task (2): Use the corpus to find out which of the verbs have "hold" as a collocate. You should supply your answer with examples from the corpus.
Task (3):Which of the verbs can be found to collocate with the following words? account, cold, meaning, it. Supply your answer with examples.
Task (4): After having looked at various collocations of the three verbs, how would you describe the relationship between them (similarities and differences in meaning)?



Suggested answer:
(1): Examples from the corpus of the verbs with the meaning "capture":
catch: ... by working with employers and health professionals to catch people early and to prevent ill health becoming chronic;...
grab: ...one of you is gonna have to grab it and angle it right 'cause it'll just take years before it...
take: America took the lead, but it led a coalition of extraordinarily wide...

(2): All three verbs can be found with "hold" as a collocate in the corpus:
I'd catch hold of your throat and choke you for half a guinea.
Once more she grabbed hold of his arm.
He took hold of the little hand...

(3): Only take collocates with account, e.g.:
The Community's activities shall take into account the potential economic viability of the projects.

Only catch collocates with cold, e.g.:
...and it makes one think she must catch cold...

Only catch collocates with meaning, e.g.:
She cast her eye over it, pondered, caught the meaning read it through again to be quite certain...

All three verbs collocate with it, e.g.
...one of you is gonna have to grab it and angle it right...
Right, I'll take it.
I have fallen behind the time, and am too old to catch it again.

(4): Even if we have three verbs with apparently similar meanings, as shown in task (1), we have found that the verbs take on different meanings according to context, or what words they collocate with.


Terminology: collocation


Last updated 4 October 2023, SOE
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