Business English Collocations – Introduction
Building a strong vocabulary is crucial for professional success, but there’s another key aspect to mastering business English that can make a huge difference: collocations. Collocations are combinations of words that are commonly used together in a natural-sounding way, and they’re an important part of fluency. While individual vocabulary is important, knowing which words naturally combine to form phrases will help you sound more like a native speaker.
In this article, we’ll explore the most useful business English collocations that you should know and how to use them in your professional conversations. If you haven’t already, check out my previous article on Essential Tips for Mastering Business Vocabulary in English for more vocabulary-building strategies.
Additionally, I invite you to join my learner community for business professionals, where you can practice using these collocations and other business English skills in a supportive environment. Let’s dive into the most useful collocations you should add to your vocabulary!
What Are Collocations?
Collocations are words that frequently go together, creating a natural-sounding phrase. For example, in English, we say “make a decision” and not “do a decision”. We have “a quick shower” instead of “a fast shower”.
Native speakers use these combinations automatically, and understanding and using them correctly can significantly improve your fluency.
In the business world, collocations often involve common phrases used in meetings, presentations, negotiations and professional communication. Mastering these collocations will help you sound more professional, confident and natural when speaking or writing in English.
“Make an Impact” and “Leave an Impression”
These two collocations are commonly used when discussing someone’s effect on a situation or an audience. Both phrases are often used in business contexts to describe how actions, products or presentations are perceived.
- Make an Impact – “The new marketing strategy made a significant impact on sales.”
- Leave an Impression – “Her presentation really left a positive impression on the team.”
Using these phrases effectively will help you convey that something has had a meaningful effect, whether on your colleagues, clients or overall business outcomes.
“Take Action” and “Take Responsibility”
In the professional world, taking initiative and owning up to tasks and decisions are highly valued qualities. These collocations reflect that proactive attitude.
- Take Action – “We need to take action to address the client’s concerns.”
- Take Responsibility – “As the team leader, taking responsibility for the project’s success is important.”
These expressions are powerful when demonstrating leadership, accountability and the ability to act decisively.
“Achieve Success” and “Reach a Goal”
These collocations are used to discuss progress, achievements and goals in business settings. Both phrases emphasise the accomplishment of desired outcomes.
- Achieve Success – “The company achieved success by expanding into new markets.”
- Reach a Goal – “We worked hard to reach our sales goal for this quarter.”
Mastering these collocations will help you discuss results and milestones with confidence.
“Close a Deal” and “Seal the Deal”
Negotiating and finalising agreements are essential parts of any transaction in the business world. These collocations are used when you’re discussing the final stages of negotiations.
- Close a Deal – “We were able to close the deal with the new supplier.”
- Seal the Deal – “The final meeting helped seal the deal on our partnership.”
These expressions will help you sound professional when talking about successful transactions or agreements.
“Make a Decision” and “Reach a Conclusion”
These collocations come in handy when you need to talk about decisions or conclusions in the workplace. They’re often used in meetings or reports when discussing outcomes and next steps.
- Make a Decision – “After reviewing all the proposals, we need to make a decision by Friday.”
- Reach a Conclusion – “The team reached a conclusion that a price increase is necessary.”
Using these phrases will make you sound more decisive and confident in discussions.
“Provide Feedback” and “Give Input”
Feedback is an integral part of communication in the business world. Whether you’re evaluating a project or suggesting improvements, these collocations help convey constructive criticism.
- Provide Feedback – “I’ll provide feedback on the proposal after the meeting.”
- Give Input – “Everyone in the meeting will have a chance to give input on the new policy.”
Using these phrases helps establish you as someone who participates in improving processes and contributing ideas.
“Run a Meeting” and “Host a Conference”
Effective communication in the workplace also involves managing and organising meetings or events. These collocations are essential when you need to talk about leading or organising business functions.
- Run a Meeting – “John will run the meeting on Tuesday to discuss the project updates.”
- Host a Conference – “The company plans to host a conference on digital marketing strategies.”
These phrases are important for sounding like someone who takes charge of business gatherings.
“Build Relationships” and “Develop Partnerships”
Networking and establishing strong professional relationships are essential in the business world. These collocations are used when discussing the creation and nurturing of connections.
- Build Relationships – “Networking events are a great way to build relationships with industry leaders.”
- Develop Partnerships – “The company is looking to develop partnerships with local businesses.”
Mastering these expressions will help you sound strategic when discussing business growth and collaboration.
“Expand a Business” and “Grow a Market”
These collocations are essential for discussing the strategies involved in business development, whether it’s reaching new customers, entering new markets or increasing your overall market share.
- Expand a Business – “We are looking for ways to expand the business into new regions.”
- Grow a Market – “Our marketing team is focused on growing our market share in the tech industry.”
These phrases are crucial for demonstrating your focus on business development and expansion.
“Make a Profit” and “Increase Revenue”
These collocations are frequently used to discuss improving earnings and business sustainability when talking about financial performance.
- Make a Profit – “We’re hoping to make a profit by the end of the quarter.”
- Increase Revenue – “The new product line has helped increase our revenue significantly.”
These expressions will allow you to sound more business-savvy when discussing financial objectives.
Business English Collocations – Conclusion
Collocations are an essential part of mastering business English. They not only help you communicate more naturally, but they also increase your ability to convey professionalism and fluency. Incorporating these common business collocations into your vocabulary will improve your ability to participate in meetings, write reports and communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
If you missed my previous article on Essential Tips for Mastering Business Vocabulary in English, be sure to check it out for more insights into building a strong professional vocabulary.
Want to put these collocations into practice? Join my community of professionals who are also working to improve their business English. By participating in discussions, sharing insights and learning from others, you’ll accelerate your progress and build confidence in using business English. Together, we can grow our skills and achieve success!
