3,570 Real-world English Phrases for Speaking and Writing Practice - Volume 1

Introduction to 3,570 Real-world English Phrases for Speaking and Writing Practice : Volume 1

Many English learners understand the importance of building their vocabulary, but simply

memorizing words is, quite often, not enough. Memorized words are soon forgotten from

lack of use. Learners who make it a habit of reading English books, however, are able to

retain some of the words they learn as they come across some of the same words, again and

again.

Even so, it is shortsighted to focus only on individual words. After all, words come in

bundles, or collocations. Already, I have used the expression “come across.” If you become

familiar with words that usually go together, you can sometimes predict what a speaker is

going to say. This gives you tremendous advantage when you are taking an English test.

A collocation, by the way, is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a word or phrase that

is often used with another word or phrase, in a way that sounds correct to people who have

spoken the language all their lives....” While you should continue to build your vocabulary

through extensive reading, you can give yourself additional practice in English speaking and

writing by also paying attention to word clusters such as the ones offered in this book.

These phrases have been collected through hundreds of hours of listening to radio shows,

television broadcasts, podcasts, university lectures and interviews. Phrases have also been

culled from newspaper and magazine articles, as well as contemporary books of both fiction

and nonfiction. Here’s wishing you all the best in your continued efforts to become a more

proficient user of the English language.