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2.3 Collocations, Confusing Words & False Friends

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BRIGHT Language English Test Study Guide 2026 Exam

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1 Chapter 1: Essential English Grammar for the Workplace

1.1 Basic Statements, Questions, Negatives & Pronouns 1.2 Verb Tenses & Aspect in Professional Contexts 1.3 Conditionals, Hypotheticals & the Subjunctive Mood 1.4 Passive Voice, Causatives & Modal Auxiliaries 1.5 Gerunds, Infinitives & Subject-Verb Agreement 1.6 Reported Speech & Indirect Questions

2 Chapter 2: Professional Vocabulary, Phrasal Verbs & Word Usage

2.1 Workplace Vocabulary, Word Formation & Register 2.2 High-Frequency Business Phrasal Verbs 2.3 Collocations, Confusing Words & False Friends 2.4 Prepositions of Time, Place & Movement

3 Chapter 3: English Structures, Clauses & Syntax

3.1 Sentence Architecture, Conjunctions & Discourse Connectors 3.2 Relative Clauses & Participle Clauses 3.3 Word Order, Inversion, Comparatives & Articles 3.4 Reading Workplace Emails, Notices & Short Reports

4 Chapter 4: Listening Comprehension — Announcements & Instructions

4.1 Travel, Airport & Transit Announcements 4.2 Workplace Facilities, Safety & Building Notifications 4.3 Commercial Broadcasts, Service Updates & Automated Prompts

5 Chapter 5: Listening Comprehension — Conversations & Workplace Dialogues

5.1 Professional Telephone Inquiries & Voicemail Messages 5.2 Colleague Discussions & Task Coordination 5.3 Meetings, Presentations & Project Briefings 5.4 Professional Negotiations & Diplomatic Consensus

6 Chapter 6: Listening Comprehension — Nuance, Inference & Exam Strategy

6.1 Detecting Speaker Attitude, Emotion & Intonation 6.2 Drawing Inferences, Context Clues & Implicit Meaning 6.3 BRIGHT English Test Timing, Interface & Pacing Strategy

2.3 Collocations, Confusing Words & False Friends

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Business collocations are fixed, conventional word pairings (e.g., 'make a decision', 'conduct an audit', 'meet a deadline') where substitution with near-synonyms produces non-standard English.

Crucial corporate distinctions include 'make' (creating or achieving results: make a profit, make an inquiry) versus 'do' (performing tasks or duties: do business, do market research).

Affect is usually a verb meaning influence; effect is usually a noun meaning result, but can also be a verb meaning bring about.

Learn dependent prepositions with their meaning, such as comply with a rule and be responsible for a task.

International candidates must actively identify false friends (cognates with deceptive meanings, such as 'actually' meaning 'in fact' rather than 'currently').

Last updated: October 2026

2.3 Collocations, Confusing Words & False Friends

A collocation is a conventional combination such as make a decision or meet a deadline . Context, word class, and meaning help distinguish similar words; avoid assuming that a more formal word is automatically the right answer.

High-Stakes Business Verb-Noun Collocations

A collocation is a pairing or group of words that habitually co-occur through established convention. In business English, verbs cannot be swapped freely with theoretical synonyms. For instance, while an executive can make a profit , they cannot do a profit ; conduct an audit or carry out an audit are safer general choices than the less usual make an audit . Core Verb Standard Business Collocations

  • ┌─────────┐ ──────> a decision, a profit, an investment, a recommendation, redundant
  • │ MAKE │
  • └─────────┘
  • ┌─────────┐ ──────> business, research, an audit, a feasibility study, one's best
  • │ DO │
  • └─────────┘
  • ┌─────────┐ ──────> a survey, an audit, negotiations, an investigation, reviews
  • │ CONDUCT │
  • └─────────┘
  • 1. The "Make" vs. "Do" Business Framework

Use MAKE for producing, generating, deciding, or creating a tangible result:

  • make a decision / make a choice (decide)
  • make a profit / make a loss (financial outcome)
  • make an investment (commit capital)
  • make an inquiry / make an appointment (initiate communication)
  • make a recommendation / make a proposal (offer formal input)
  • make someone redundant (terminate a position)

Use DO for activities, processes, duties, and recurring tasks:

  • do business with someone (engage in commercial transactions)
  • do market research / do due diligence (conduct investigation)
  • do an audit / do an inspection (perform evaluation; note that conduct is preferred in formal registers)
  • do someone a favor (assist)
  • do damage / do harm (produce an adverse effect)
  • 2. High-Frequency Executive Collocations

Conduct (or Carry out): The formal standard verb paired with systematic procedures. Collocates with: an audit, a survey, an inspection, an appraisal, negotiations, research, interviews . Practice: Use conduct or carry out in a formal report; do a survey and do an audit are also possible in ordinary English.

Reach (or Arrive at): Used when bringing negotiations or deliberations to a successful conclusion. Collocates with: an agreement, a consensus, a compromise, a verdict, a settlement . Trap: Non-native speakers often erroneously use "win an agreement" or "touch a consensus" .

Meet: Used when fulfilling standards, deadlines, or expectations. Collocates with: a deadline, sales targets, customer expectations, regulatory criteria, budget specifications . Trap: Avoid substituting "satisfy a deadline" (one satisfies requirements, but meets a deadline).

Take: Used when initiating proactive institutional action. Collocates with: steps, measures, precautions, minutes (during a meeting), into account, into consideration . Trap: The phrase is "take steps to resolve" , never "make steps" or "do steps" .

Draw up: Used when drafting formal legal, financial, or strategic documents. Collocates with: a contract, an agreement, a proposal, guidelines, an agenda, a shortlist . Practice: Draw up a contract is a useful conventional phrase; write up a contract is also possible.

Business Collocation Reference Matrix

Primary Verb Standard Business Collocation Unnatural Non-Standard Combination Exemplar Sentence

Conduct conduct a survey make a survey "The marketing department hired an agency to conduct a survey of consumer sentiment."

Make make a profit do a profit "Despite rising supply chain costs, the division managed to make a profit in Q3."

Do do business make business "Our enterprise has chosen not to do business with uncertified vendors."

Reach reach a consensus arrive a consensus "After six hours of debate, the steering committee failed to reach a consensus ."

Meet meet a deadline catch a deadline "The engineering team worked double shifts to meet the tight deadline for product launch."

Take take measures make measures "The board resolved to take strict measures against unauthorized data disclosure."

Draw up draw up a contract draw a contract up to someone "Outside legal counsel was instructed to draw up a contract protecting our IP assets."

Easily Confused Word Pairs & Paronyms

Similar-looking words can belong to different word classes or carry different meanings. Check which distinction the sentence actually requires.

1. Affect vs. Effect

In their usual unstressed pronunciations, these words can sound alike; the sentence structure helps distinguish them.

Affect (usually a Verb): To influence, produce a change in, or impact. Example: "Rising interest rates directly affect our borrowing costs."

Effect (usually a Noun): The result, outcome, consequence, or impact. Example: "The new tax policy had an immediate effect on corporate profitability."

The Executive Exception (Effect as a Verb): In formal corporate or legal prose, effect can function as a transitive verb meaning to bring about , cause , or execute (always followed by nouns like change , reforms , or recovery ). Example: "The new managing director was brought in to effect sweeping structural reforms across the enterprise."

2. Economic vs. Economical

Both words are adjectives derived from the noun economy , but their functional applications differ radically.

Economic: Pertains to the macro-economy, finance, industry, or the trade system. Collocates with: growth, policy, indicators, crisis, zone, development . Example: "The central bank monitors key economic indicators before adjusting lending rates."

Economical: Means cost-effective, thrifty, fuel-efficient, or avoiding waste. Collocates with: vehicle, solution, method, alternative, use of resources . Example: "Switching to hybrid commercial delivery vans proved to be an economical operational decision."

3. Sensitive vs. Sensible

These adjectives represent a notorious pitfall for speakers of Romance languages, where cognates can have different meanings from their English counterparts.

Sensitive: Delicate, easily influenced, responsive to stimuli, or confidential. Example: "The human resources director handles highly sensitive employee compensation records."

Sensible: Practical, displaying sound judgment, reasonable, and grounded in common sense. Example: "Given the volatile market conditions, maintaining a cash reserve is a sensible financial strategy."

4. Lose vs. Loose

Lose (Verb, rhyming with choose ): To misplace, suffer the loss of, or fail to retain. Example: "If we fail to meet the delivery deadline, we will lose our most lucrative corporate account." Past tense: lost ; Participle: lost .

Loose (Adjective, rhyming with goose ): Not firmly fastened, untied, slack, or lacking precision. Example: "The auditor noted that loose internal controls allowed unauthorized expense reimbursements."

5. Complement vs. Compliment

Complement (Verb / Noun): To balance, complete, or enhance something by adding what is missing. Example: "The software engineer's analytical skills perfectly complement the designer's creative vision."

Compliment (Verb / Noun): To express praise, admiration, or congratulation. The related adjective complimentary can mean praising or supplied free of charge, depending on context. Example: "The regional director complimented the sales division on exceeding their annual revenue quotas." Example: "Hotel guests receive complimentary shuttle transportation to the convention center."

6. Lay vs. Lie

Understanding the transitivity of these two verbs eliminates costly errors on sentence-completion tasks.

Lay (Transitive — requires a direct object): To place or set something down flat. (Principal parts: lay, laid, laid, laying ). Example: "Please lay the signed contracts on my desk before departing this evening."

Lie (Intransitive — NEVER takes a direct object): To recline, be situated, or exist in a horizontal state. (Principal parts: lie, lay, lain, lying ). Example: "The company's primary competitive advantages lie in its patented proprietary algorithms."

Prepositional Collocations with Verbs and Adjectives

Some meanings require a particular preposition: comply with a rule , rely on a colleague . Other prepositions may be possible with a different meaning or construction, so learn the entire phrase.

Verbs with Dependent Prepositions

Verb + Preposition Semantic Meaning Authentic Workplace Exemplar Common Non-Standard Error

comply with Adhere to laws or rules "All regional facilities must comply with federal environmental mandates." "comply to / comply at"

account for Explain, or constitute a percentage "Export sales account for 42% of our gross annual revenue." "account of"

specialize in Focus expertise on a field "Our legal retainers specialize in corporate intellectual property disputes." "specialize at / on"

refrain from Abstain from an action "Employees are instructed to refrain from discussing proprietary data publicly." "refrain to / of"

contribute to Assist in bringing about "Diligent cost management contributed to our improved net operating margin." "contribute for"

rely on / depend on Place trust in or require "The assembly line relies on continuous just-in-time component shipments." "rely in / depend of"

object to Express formal opposition "Several institutional investors objected to the proposed executive compensation package." "object against"

approve of Have a favorable opinion "The audit committee did not approve of the accelerated depreciation methodology." Do not confuse this with transitive approve: the board approved the plan

Adjectives with Dependent Prepositions

Adjective + Preposition Semantic Meaning Authentic Workplace Exemplar Common Non-Standard Error

responsible for In charge of or accountable "The operations manager is responsible for warehouse inventory accuracy." "responsible of"

capable of Having the capacity or skill "The upgraded cloud server architecture is capable of processing 10,000 queries per second." "capable to"

subject to Dependent upon, or conditional "The merger terms remain subject to final regulatory clearance from antitrust authorities." "subject of / with"

eligible for Qualified to receive "Employees who complete one continuous year of service become eligible for performance bonuses." "eligible to (noun)"

compatible with Able to function harmoniously "Ensure the proprietary accounting software is compatible with our legacy operating system." "compatible to"

prior to Preceding in time "All non-disclosure agreements must be signed prior to accessing the technical blueprints." "prior than"

Note

Grammatical Pattern with Prepositions: Remember the fundamental English syntax rule: any verb that immediately follows a dependent preposition must take the gerund (-ing) form (e.g., "responsible for overseeing" , "capable of handling" , "refrain from disclosing" ). Never place a bare infinitive after a preposition.

False Friends (Faux Amis) for International Test-Takers

A false friend resembles a word in another language but has a different meaning in at least one context. The examples below compare common French and Spanish associations; these are learning cautions rather than claims about official distractor design. Deceptive Word What Test-Takers Assume What It ACTUALLY Means in English

  • ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────────────┐
  • │ ACTUALLY │ ──> │ "Currently / Right now" │ ──> │ "In fact / In reality / Truly" │
  • └──────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ └────────────────────────────────┘
  • ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────────────┐
  • │ EVENTUALLY │ ──> │ "Possibly / Potentially"│ ──> │ "In the end / After some time" │
  • └──────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ └────────────────────────────────┘
  • False Friends Diagnostic Table

English Term What Candidate Thinks It Means True Professional English Meaning Correct Word for the Assumed Meaning

Actually At the present time / now (French actuellement , Spanish actualmente ) In reality, in fact, contrary to expectation Currently / At present

Eventually Possibly / if circumstances require (French éventuellement ) In the end, ultimately, after a prolonged period Possibly / Potentially / If necessary

Attend To wait for someone (French attendre ) To be physically or virtually present at an event Wait for / Await

Demand To ask politely for information (French demander ) To firmly, forcefully, or authoritatively insist upon Request / Inquire / Ask for

Comprehensive Understanding / empathetic (French compréhensif ) Thorough, complete, all-inclusive Understanding / Sympathetic

Assist To be present at an event (Spanish/French asistir/assister ) To help, aid, or support someone Attend / Be present

Delay A deadline or time limit (French délai ) A period of lateness or postponement Deadline / Timeframe

Warning

Currently means at present , while actually often means in fact or introduces a correction. Both can be grammatical in We are ___ renovating . Choose from the intended meaning: We currently rent the office locates it in time; We actually own it corrects an assumption.