#3. Collocations & Lexical Bundles

Collocations are your shortcut to natural English: ready-made word partners you can pull out under time pressure. Learn the patterns, stock your “chunk bank,” and practice producing them at speed.

Why chunks beat single words

• Faster to recall and speak.
• Safer tone and register (polite, professional, clear).
• Closer to how Canadian English is written in emails, notices, and customer service.

Rule of thumb: Memorize the phrase that does the job (e.g., file a complaint, request an extension, waive a fee) instead of a lone verb like do/make.

The four big patterns (with exam-safe examples)

1) Verb + Noun (action that “just sounds right”)

• file a complaint / claim / report
• submit an application / request / invoice
• request a refund / extension / adjustment
• waive a fee / requirement / penalty
• authorize a refund / payment / repair
• meet a deadline / requirement / condition
• miss a payment / deadline / call
• escalate an issue / ticket / concern
• renew a permit / lease / policy
• schedule a visit / inspection / appointment
• provide proof of address / identification / documentation

2) Adjective + Noun (tone + precision)

• urgent request / reasonable explanation / formal notice
• detailed estimate / written confirmation / temporary outage
• outstanding balance / valid ID / partial refund
• recurring noise / cosmetic damage / eligible expense

3) Noun + Noun (compound terms you’ll meet in forms)

• service outage / billing cycle / hold period
• delivery window / payment plan / coverage limit
• renewal notice / tracking number / claim reference

4) Preposition patterns (high-risk for errors)

• apply for a permit; apply to a program; applicable to
• eligible for a benefit; responsible for fees
• comply with rules; consistent with policy
• follow up on a ticket; inquire about an order
• pay by the 15th; due on Friday; ahead of schedule
• covered under warranty; in accordance with policy
• at your earliest convenience; in the meantime; on short notice

Repair these

• ❌ do a complaint → ✅ file a complaint
• ❌ ask extension for deadline → ✅ request an extension to/for the deadline
• ❌ responsible to the fee → ✅ responsible for the fee

Light verbs vs strong verbs (more points, fewer words)

Swap vague “light” verbs (do, make, have, get, take) for precise actions:

• make a payment → pay the invoice
• do a renewal → renew the permit
• get a refund → request / receive a refund
• have a problem → experience / report an issue
• take an action → escalate / authorize / schedule as needed

Two-step upgrade

1. Identify the function (request? complain? schedule?).
2. Pick the strong verb often used in that function.

Lexical bundles (2–4 words) that structure ideas

Use these to glue sentences together naturally in Writing and Speaking.

Giving reasons/results

• as a result, therefore, for this reason, consequently

Adding/ordering

• in addition, first/next/finally, to begin with, in the meantime

Contrasting/limiting

• however, that said, at the same time, on the other hand

Conditions/time

• as soon as, no later than, at your earliest convenience, for the time being

Requests & politeness

• would you mind, I’d like to request, could you please, I appreciate your help

Decisions & status

• we have approved, pending approval, subject to, effective immediately

Production tip: Bundle + collocation = strong opening:
“As a result, we’d like to request a refund for the second delivery.”

Build your personal collocation bank (by domain + function)

Create a simple grid (Domain × Function). Add only items you’ll use in Canada within 90 days.

Housing & Tenancy

• request an inspection; renew a lease; report a violation
• serve notice; approve a repair; grant access

Utilities & Telecom

• report an outage; schedule a technician; request a bill adjustment
• throttle speeds; restore service; credit the account

Banking & Personal Finance

• dispute a charge; waive a fee; set up an automatic transfer
• hold a deposit; issue a statement; verify identity

Workplace & Projects

• meet a deadline; raise a concern; hand over tasks; follow up on a ticket
• prioritize tasks; address a blocker; align on scope

Healthcare & Appointments

• book an appointment; reschedule a visit; refer a patient
• prescribe medication; renew a prescription; follow up on results

Tag each entry with register (formal/neutral) and mode (speaking/writing) to practice in the right voice.

Micro-drills you can reuse

A) Pair and produce (3 minutes)
Pick 5 verbs and 5 nouns from one domain. Make 10 natural pairs and speak one sentence for each. Delete any pair that sounds forced.

B) Light→strong swap (2 minutes)
Replace the light verb with a precise action:

• make the bill lower → apply a discount / waive the fee
• do the form again → resubmit the application
• get someone to come → schedule a technician visit

C) Preposition snap check (90 seconds)
Say the collocation and the preposition aloud:

• eligible for, comply with, inquire about, follow up on, consistent with.

D) Bundle→collocation combo (2 minutes)
Start with a bundle, finish with a collocation:

• However, the unit must meet the safety requirements.
• In the meantime, we’ll schedule an inspection.
• For this reason, we’re requesting a refund.

Quick self-repair list (common CELPIP errors)

• ❌ apply to a refund → ✅ apply for a refund
• ❌ eligible to insurance → ✅ eligible for insurance coverage
• ❌ consistent to policy → ✅ consistent with policy
• ❌ I want to do extension → ✅ I’d like to request an extension
• ❌ I will do a schedule → ✅ I’ll schedule/book an appointment

One-minute warm-ups (before practice)

• Say five collocations with request / report / schedule / waive / submit.
• Link each to a bundle: As a result, we… / However, we…
• Record a 20-second voice note using two collocations and one bundle. Listen once; fix one phrase.

Production templates you can steal

Polite request (formal):
I’m writing to request an extension on the payment due by June 15. As a result of a banking delay, the funds will clear on Monday.

Complaint + solution (neutral):
I’d like to report an outage affecting our unit. In the meantime, could you schedule a technician visit for tomorrow afternoon?

Follow-up (workplace):
Just following up on the invoice status. If anything is missing, I can provide documentation today.

Steal the structure, swap in your own nouns and verbs, and you’ll sound clear, polite, and natural every time.