Core Verb Collocations: Make, Do, Take, Have, Break, Keep, Catch, Pay
Do you know why we make breakfast but do homework, or why we take a break but have a rest? These eight essential verbs form fixed partnerships with specific nouns — and choosing the wrong verb sounds unnatural to native speakers.
This challenge covers the most common collocations with make/do (breakfast, decisions, homework, dishes), take/have (photos, breaks, a good time), break/keep (promises, trust, calm), and catch/pay (buses, attention, bills). You'll encounter real-life scenarios from morning routines and student life to business meetings and travel situations. The 17 questions use varied formats including single-choice, drag-and-drop, drop-down, and multi-choice to test your collocation knowledge.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct Answers
Choose the correct verb to complete what Sarah says about her morning cooking routine.
"I always ___ breakfast for my family before they wake up because I enjoy preparing healthy meals."
The correct answer is make.
We "make breakfast" when we prepare or cook it for ourselves or others. The context shows Sarah is preparing meals for her family, which requires the verb "make."
The correct answers are take a photo, have a good time, take a break, and have lunch.
We "take" photos, breaks, and trips, while we "have" meals, good times, and experiences.
Select the correct verb to complete the student's complaint.
"I have so much work tonight! I need to ___ my math homework, ___ a shower, and then study for tomorrow's test."
The correct answer is do, take.
We "do homework" (complete assignments) and "take a shower" (perform the action of showering).
keep my promises - have trouble - break my routine
We "keep" promises by fulfilling them, "have" trouble means to experience difficulty, and "break" routine means to change your usual pattern.
Select the correct verb to complete the teacher's instruction.
"Please ___ attention to this explanation, and try to ___ the main idea of what I'm saying."
The correct answer is pay, catch.
We "pay attention" (focus our mind on something) and "catch the idea" (understand or grasp a concept).
have a coffee break - share stories - stay connected
We "have" breaks (not "take" or "make"), we "share" stories with others, and we "stay" connected to maintain relationships.
Choose the correct verbs to complete Tom's weekend plans.
This weekend I want to have a good time with friends, take some photos at the park, and make plans for next week.
I want to have a good time with friends.
We use "have" with "a good time" - this is a common collocation meaning to enjoy yourself.
Take some photos at the park.
We use "take" with "photos" - this is the standard collocation for photography.
Make plans for next week.
We use "make" with "plans" - this collocation means to create or organize future arrangements.
make a decision - do our best - take notes
We "make" decisions and choices, "do" our best means to try as hard as possible, and we "take" notes by writing down information.
Choose the correct verb to complete this conversation about weekend plans.
"I can't ___ a decision about where to go this weekend. Should we ___ a trip to the mountains or stay in the city?"
The correct answer is make, take.
We "make a decision" (choose between options) and "take a trip" (go on a journey).
Choose the correct verbs to complete what Sarah says about her busy morning routine.
Every morning I make my bed, then I do some exercise, and finally I take a shower before work.
Every morning I make my bed.
We use "make" with "bed" - it's a fixed collocation meaning to tidy up the bedsheets and pillows.
Then I do some exercise.
We use "do" with "exercise" - this is the standard collocation for physical activity.
Finally I take a shower.
We use "take" with "shower" - this is the correct collocation, not "make" or "do" a shower.
Choose the correct verb to complete this advice about friendship.
"If you want to maintain good relationships, you should always ___ your promises and never ___ someone's trust."
The correct answer is keep, break.
We "keep promises" (fulfill them) and "break trust" (destroy or damage it).
Choose the correct verbs to complete the teacher's advice to her students.
You need to pay attention in class, make an effort with your homework, and do your best on the final exam.
You need to pay attention in class.
We use "pay" with "attention" - this is a fixed collocation meaning to focus or concentrate.
Make an effort with your homework.
We use "make" with "an effort" - this collocation means to try hard or put in work.
Do your best on the final exam.
We use "do" with "your best" - this means to perform as well as you possibly can.
catch the bus - pay attention - take my time
We "catch" transportation like buses or trains, "pay" attention means to focus carefully, and "take" time means to use time without rushing.
Choose the correct verbs to complete what the tired worker says to his colleague.
I really need to take a break and have a rest before the meeting starts.
I really need to take a break.
We use "take" with "a break" - this collocation means to pause or stop working temporarily.
Have a rest.
We use "have" with "a rest" - this is a common collocation meaning to relax or sleep.
The correct answers are catch a bus, pay attention, catch a cold, and pay the bill.
We "catch" transportation, illnesses, and moving things, while we "pay" for services, bills, and give our attention to something.
Choose the correct verbs to complete the student's excuse to her teacher.
I'm sorry I'm late! I had to break some bad news to my family, then I tried to keep calm, but I almost missed the catch bus to school.
I had to break some bad news to my family.
We use "break" with "bad news" - this collocation means to tell someone unpleasant information.
Then I tried to keep calm.
We use "keep" with "calm" - this means to maintain composure or stay relaxed.
I almost missed the catch bus.
We use "catch" with "bus" - this collocation means to board or get on public transport in time.
The correct answers are make breakfast, do homework, make a decision, and do the dishes.
We use "make" for creating or producing things (make breakfast, make a decision) and "do" for activities or tasks (do homework, do the dishes).
Phrasal verb
If you've ever read I ran into my old teacher and wondered why anyone would run into a person on purpose, welcome to phrasal verbs. They're idioms hiding in plain sight — short verb-plus-particle combinations whose meanings don't match the words you see. Miss them and English films, news, and casual conversation feel half-translated.
A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle, a preposition, or both, forming a unit with a non-literal meaning: give up, put up with, come across. They're the single biggest source of native-sounding fluency at intermediate level.
Present tense
If you've ever told someone I am living here for ten years (should be have lived or have been living) — you've hit the present perfect's main puzzle. English insists that "started in the past, still true now" lives in the present perfect, not the simple present. Internalise that one rule and a whole class of common errors disappears.
The present tense in English has four forms: simple present (I work) for habits and general truths; present progressive (I am working) for now or temporary; present perfect (I have worked) for past with present relevance; present perfect progressive (I have been working) for ongoing duration up to now.
Verb
If grammar feels overwhelming, the fix is almost always to focus on verbs first. They carry the action, the time, the mood, and the voice — a single verb form decides whether your sentence reads as past or present, fact or hypothetical, active or passive. Get verbs solid and the rest of grammar suddenly looks much smaller.
A verb expresses action, state, or occurrence — the engine of every English sentence. Most verbs have five forms (base, -s, past tense, past participle, -ing); be has eight; modal verbs have fewer. Verbs carry tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
Collocations
If your English vocabulary is large but your speech still sounds slightly off — do a mistake, powerful coffee, high winds blew strongly — you've hit the collocation problem. Each word is correct in isolation, but native speakers don't pair them that way. Fixing it isn't about more vocabulary; it's about learning words in their natural company.
Collocations are word combinations that habitually occur together: make a decision, strong coffee, heavy rain, highly unlikely. The grammar permits other pairings, but fluent English consistently chooses one over the rest. They're the connective tissue of natural-sounding language.
Vocabulary
If you've ever known the grammar of a sentence but not the right word for what you actually wanted to say — help me, kindly, unfortunately, broke down, put up with — you've felt the limit of grammar without vocabulary. Most fluency-feel comes from word choice, not sentence structure. The Vocabulary tag is where you build that side of your English deliberately.
The Vocabulary tag groups word-focused practice — common words, collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms — across all CEFR levels from A1 to C2.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
If you can order coffee, ask for directions, and tell someone what you did yesterday — but struggle the moment the conversation drifts into anything abstract — you're operating at A2. Knowing this matters: A2 is the level where most learners plateau because they reach for B2 material too early and burn out. Stay here and your foundations get unbreakable.
A2 is the elementary level in the CEFR framework, covering routine communication and the first wave of real grammar: past simple and continuous, present perfect, basic modal verbs, first conditional, and common verb-pattern rules.
B1 | Intermediate
If you can hold a conversation about your weekend, explain why you're late, and follow a short news story without panicking — but still feel lost in fast or technical English — you're probably operating at B1. Knowing this matters: study material at the wrong level either bores you or burns you out, and B1 is the typical target for travel, casual work, and most everyday social English.
B1 is the intermediate level in the CEFR framework, where you handle everyday English independently and start combining ideas with complex sentences, passive voice, and modal verbs.
B2 | Upper Intermediate
If a university admissions team or visa office has ever asked you for an English test score, B2 is probably the level they had in mind. It's the threshold where your English stops being a constraint and starts being a tool — and the line between B1 and B2 is often the line between "stuck in beginner classes" and "ready to study or work in English."
B2 is the upper-intermediate level in the CEFR framework, demanding flexible control of mixed conditionals, passive voice across tenses, reported speech with backshifting, and participle clauses.
Difficulty: Easy
If a textbook leaves you confused, sometimes the issue isn't the topic — it's that the practice material is layered with extra complications. Filtering by Easy strips that away. You get one rule at a time, in plain everyday language, with no trick questions. It's how you make a shaky foundation solid before stacking more on top.
The Easy difficulty tag marks beginner-level questions and challenges — typically A1 or early A2. Single-rule focus, short sentences, common vocabulary, one clear correct answer.
Difficulty: Medium
If easy questions feel too obvious but hard questions leave you guessing, you're probably ready for Medium — the level where most real learning happens. It pushes just enough to expose the rules you don't quite have yet, without burying you in edge cases. This is where steady fluency is built, one well-aimed challenge at a time.
The Medium difficulty tag marks middle-range challenges — typically A2 to B1. One rule per question, realistic distractors, and contexts that require active thought rather than instant recognition.