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上期（詳見10月31日A30版）與讀者分享其中一個提升詞彙的辦法。今期想跟大家討論另一個話題─collocation。
try suicide? 啼笑皆非
Collocation，中文解作「配置」、「搭配」等，是指英文詞語的慣常組合。例如，當我們討論suicide（自殺）時，通常說attempt suicide（企圖自殺）或commit suicide（自殺）。若不慎寫了try suicide（雖然attempt和try的字面意思相同），這種表達仍是錯誤的。
從以上collocation的例子，可知一個合適搭配的詞語，不但能令整句變得更native like（地道），亦可避免錯誤。
常見的collocation有以下4類：
1. Subject noun + verb - e.g. The lion roars loudly when spotting an intruder.
2. Verb + object noun - e.g. She gave a presentation last week.
3. Adjective + noun - e.g. He likes drinking black coffee.
4. Adverb + adjective - e.g. The patient was fully aware of the potential consequences when he signed the consent form.
下次學習新詞語時，緊記一併把它的collocation一同學習呀。■Dr. A. Chan
作者簡介：哲學博士，哲學碩士，文學士，英語講師。熟悉公開考試之出題模式與評分準則，任教英語。
Practice
Can you fill in the following blanks by using words that are commonly used with the nouns/verbs underlined?
1. I am not in a hurry. Please ___________ your time.
2. Jake was electrocuted for _______________ murder.
3. Lisa whispered __________ in Morris's eyes.
Answers
1. I am not in a hurry. Please take your time.
2. Jake was electrocuted for committing murder.
3. Lisa whispered softly in Morris's eyes.
逢星期五見報
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