Replace vague or translated wording with natural, precise combinations while choosing vocabulary that fits meaning, genre and register rather than displaying unnecessary rarity.
Today’s central idea: Lexical precision combines exact meaning with conventional partnership. Learn the node word, its sense, its grammatical pattern, its common partners, and the genres where the combination is expected.
Retrieval bridge
Say each answer before revealing it. The goal is to reactivate language that today’s lesson will extend.
Connect to what you already know
Complete three strong combinations: ___ a decision, ___ responsibility, ___ evidence.
make a decision, take/accept responsibility, provide/present evidence
Replace do a mistake and strong rain.
make a mistake and heavy rain
Give a neutral and formal alternative to look into a problem.
investigate a problem / examine the issue
Notice before the rule
Correct words can still form an unnatural combination
A report has accurate individual words but several weak combinations.
The team did a detailed analysis and made strong progress.
The team conducted a detailed analysis and made substantial progress.
The results raise serious concerns but provide limited evidence of direct harm.
Which verbs sound conventional with analysis and progress?
Why is substantial more natural than strong before progress?
Which nouns regularly follow raise and provide in the final sentence?
Noticing check
What is a collocation?
Discover the system
Lexical precision combines exact meaning with conventional partnership. Learn the node word, its sense, its grammatical pattern, its common partners, and the genres where the combination is expected.
Pattern
Form
Example
verb + noun
pose a risk; reach a conclusion
The delay poses a serious risk.
adjective + noun
compelling evidence; tentative conclusion
The study offers compelling evidence.
adverb + adjective
deeply concerned; broadly consistent
The findings are broadly consistent.
lexical bundle
in light of; with respect to; there is little evidence that
In light of the results, we revised the plan.
Meaning and choice
Speaker’s choice
Use it when…
Example
strength
the combination is frequent and expected
heavy rain, not strong rain
semantic preference
a word tends to occur with particular outcomes or attitudes
pose often introduces risk, threat or question
genre
a bundle organizes a report, discussion or informal exchange
with respect to is common in formal explanation
precision
the verb names the exact relationship
cause, contribute to, trigger and coincide with make different claims
Sound natural: Store collocations as stress groups: REACH a conCLU-sion, POSE a RISK, COM-pelling E-vidence. Fluency improves when the whole chunk is retrieved together.
High-value repairs
Avoid
Use
Why
We did a decision.
We made/reached a decision.
Decision conventionally combines with make or reach in this meaning.
The report proves a possible link.
The report suggests/identifies a possible link.
Prove conflicts with possible and overstates the evidence.
Use rare words to sound advanced.
Use the most precise natural combination for the audience and genre.
Unnecessary rarity reduces clarity and often creates collocational errors.
High-value C1 combinations
Learn each as meaning plus pattern, not as an isolated synonym list.
Evidence
provide evidencesupport a claimdraw a conclusionraise doubtsremain inconclusive
Change
implement a policyintroduce a measureundergo changedrive growthpose a challenge
Argument
acknowledge a limitationaddress a concernchallenge an assumptionmake a distinctionqualify a claim
Read language doing real work
Editing an evidence summary
Compare vague drafting with precise revision.
Draft: The survey did a lot of information and showed a big problem with access.
Revision: The survey generated detailed evidence and identified a substantial barrier to access.
Final caution: The findings raise serious concerns, but the sample is too limited to support a firm conclusion about the entire population.
Build controlled accuracy
Reusable practice routes
Choose today’s practice set
Choose the set that fits today’s learner. Each set contains different examples.
Core: Secure the central form-and-meaning decisions before increasing the pressure.
The committee formally reached its final choice. Which chunk fits?
The new rule may create danger for small firms. It may ___ a risk.
The evidence is persuasive and difficult to dismiss. Which phrase fits?
The study cannot prove cause but shows partial influence. Which verb fits?
Contrast: Use the reading context to distinguish nearby meanings and prevent overgeneralization.
What replaces “did a lot of information”?
Why is “substantial barrier” more precise than “big problem”?
What does “support a firm conclusion” mean?
How does the final sentence avoid overclaiming?
Challenge: Apply the same system to less predictable contexts without repeating the Core examples.
Which phrase fits a cautious report conclusion?
Which verb combines naturally with concern in a formal discussion?
Which phrase names a careful non-final interpretation?
Which bundle introduces a revised decision based on evidence?
Core set selected.
Build the cautious evidence claim
Combine the strength and the limitation.
Diagnose and repair
Find the precise problem. A useful correction includes the reason, not only the repaired sentence.
Repair the light verb
The committee did a difficult decision.
Repair evidence strength
The small survey proved a possible connection.
Repair the adjective-noun pair
The report presents powerful uncertainty.
Repair vague advanced wording
The measure effectuated a good change in outcomes.
Fluency drill
Respond aloud first. Reveal the model only after you have committed to an answer; your wording can differ if the meaning and form are right.
Transform and expand
Replace do, get and make in a vague project update.
We conducted the analysis, obtained approval, and implemented the change.
Create a collocation chain around evidence.
gather evidence, provide evidence, evaluate evidence, evidence supports a claim, evidence remains inconclusive
Contrast cause, contribute to, trigger and coincide with.
Cause asserts a relationship; contribute to marks partial influence; trigger starts a process; coincide with marks timing without causation.
Self-correct an unnatural phrase aloud.
We did strong progress. More naturally, we made substantial progress.
Play and practice
Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.
Read
Should the pool open earlier?
Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.
Survey summary247 wordsAbout 2 min
This spring, the Eastside Community Center asked its members whether the swimming pool should open at 6 a.m. on weekdays. Of the 412 people who responded, 61 percent said they would use an early session at least once a week. Most of the remaining members said the current 8 a.m. start already suits them. The results provide useful evidence of demand, especially among shift workers and parents of young children.
The survey has clear weaknesses, and this summary acknowledges each limitation openly. Only current members could respond, so people who might join for an early session were not included. Several respondents raised doubts about whether the parking lot would be safely lit at that hour.
An earlier opening would also pose a challenge for staffing. The center currently employs two morning lifeguards, and neither is available before seven. Hiring a third would increase costs by about $18,000 a year. Training a new lifeguard takes about six weeks, so any trial could not start before September.
Taken together, the figures support the claim that demand exists, but it is too early to draw a firm conclusion about long-term use. We therefore recommend a three-month trial. Before the center can implement the new policy, the board will need to address the concerns about lighting and staffing. If attendance falls below forty swimmers a week, the pool will return to its current hours. Staff will count swimmers at every early session, and the center will publish attendance figures each month.
Find it
Tap the verb in each of the 8 verb + noun collocations from the lesson’s reference box (Evidence, Change, Argument), in any form. Example: make in make a distinction.
Check your understanding
1. Why might the survey underestimate demand?
2. What staffing challenge would an earlier opening pose?
3. Why is it too early to draw a firm conclusion?
Sort it
Natural or not?
Tap a word, then tap the box it belongs in. Press Check when the tray is empty.
Word search
Find the strong partner
Find the word for each clue. Words run in any direction, even backwards. Tap the first letter, then the last.
___ a conclusion (a partner other than reach) →draw ?
___ evidence: persuasive and hard to dismiss (from the verb compel) →compelling ?
___ a concern: deal with it →address ?
___ a policy: put it into action →implement ?
___ consistent: in general, not in every detail (from broad) →broadly ?
___ doubts: bring them up (also: ___ your hand) →raise ?
___ evidence: supply it →provide ?
Crossword
Precise partners
Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.
Across
Down
Choose the right amount of challenge
Communicate in three steps
The precision editor. Pick one starting point, then move up only if the learner is ready. True or invented details are equally acceptable.
1
Personal answer
Make the language yours
Use the lesson’s earlier example or invent a similar situation. The details do not need to be personal.
Edit a fictional report containing vague verbs and translated combinations, then defend every revision. Start with this cue: What exact relationship does the verb claim?
Next cues
Which partners does this noun prefer?
Does the combination fit the genre?
2
Guided role play
The precision editor
Edit a fictional report containing vague verbs and translated combinations, then defend every revision.
Role 1Writer: present the intended meaning, genre and strength of evidence.
Role 2Editor: replace only language that is vague, unnatural or misleading and explain the collocational choice.
Useful language
What exact relationship does the verb claim?
Which partners does this noun prefer?
Does the combination fit the genre?
Is a common word more precise here?
3
Real-world challenge
Remove the support
Draft 170 to 210 words about fictional survey findings, then revise at least eight lexical combinations.
C1 target: Sustain a clear position for two minutes, adapt to a challenge, and reformulate one point more precisely.
Include
Use four verb-noun and three adjective-noun collocations.
Include one lexical bundle that organizes the argument.
Avoid claiming direct causation unless the evidence supports it.
Write for a real reader
Write and edit an evidence paragraph
Draft 170 to 210 words about fictional survey findings, then revise at least eight lexical combinations.
Your text must
Use four verb-noun and three adjective-noun collocations.
Include one lexical bundle that organizes the argument.
Avoid claiming direct causation unless the evidence supports it.
Reveal a possible model only after you have drafted your own version.
The survey generated detailed evidence about access to evening services. The findings reveal a substantial barrier for workers with irregular schedules and raise serious concerns about the current timetable. However, the small sample does not support a firm conclusion about the entire population. In light of this limitation, the results should be treated as a basis for a larger study rather than proof of direct harm. The team will gather additional evidence, address the sampling concern, and evaluate whether extended hours contribute to improved access.
Reflect and transfer
Can you do this without the page?
Choose natural partners for high-value nouns, verbs and adjectives.
Distinguish exact causal and evidential relationships.
Prefer precise common wording over vague or inflated vocabulary.
Your next use: Collect five useful combinations from a real professional text and record each with its meaning, pattern and one original sentence. Return to the retrieval bridge next lesson.