Words that go together
Adjective + noun and verb + noun pairs: heavy rain, strong coffee, catch a cold, keep a secret.
Some words just sound right together, and others don't – we say heavy rain, not 'strong rain'. These pairs are called collocations, and Reading Part 5 often gives you four words with a similar meaning where only one goes with the noun.
Adjective + noun
The meaning is similar, but only one adjective sounds natural.
Verb + noun
Learn the verb with the noun.
Common pairs with "pay" and "spend"
How it comes up in Part 5
In Reading Part 5 you choose the word (A, B, C or D) that best fits each gap. The four options often have similar meanings, so knowing which words go together is what gets you the mark.
A heavy B strong C big D thick
We say heavy rain.
A keep B hold C save D stay
We keep a secret.
A pay B make C put D take
We pay attention to something.
Common mistakes
- ✗ There was a strong rain last night.✓ There was heavy rain last night.We say 'heavy rain'.
- ✗ I took a cold last week.✓ I caught a cold last week.We 'catch' a cold.
- ✗ He said me a funny story.✓ He told me a funny story.We 'tell' a story (and 'tell' someone something).
In Part 5, when all four options mean almost the same thing, the question is testing a collocation. Read the noun after the gap and ask: which word have I heard with it before?
Quick check
Choose the word that best fits each gap.
🇪🇸 Guía en español: Cómo preparar el B1 Preliminary (PET): guía paso a paso →