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B2 practiceIdiomatic Expressions & Collocations — B2
Complete the idiom or collocation.
2 B2 exercises
B2 exercises
Only Upper-intermediate (B2) exercises are listed. Show every level.
Idioms and Collocations in Everyday Situations
Idiomatic expressions and collocations across everyday situations: work, study, travel, health, technology, relationships, money and home
Idioms and Collocations in Everyday Situations
Idiomatic expressions and collocations across work, study, travel, health, technology, relationships, money and the environment
About Idiomatic Expressions & Collocations
Collocations are the words English puts together — make a decision, heavy traffic, pay attention — and idioms are fixed expressions with a meaning of their own, like a piece of cake. Using them correctly is what makes English sound natural.
What it tests
Each exercise has eight sentences, each missing one word of an idiom or a collocation, with four options. The options are close in meaning, so you need to know which word the expression really uses.
How it appears on the exam paper
Collocations and fixed expressions are tested mainly in the multiple-choice cloze and the key word transformations, where words close in meaning are offered and only one goes with the words around it.
Exam-style tips
- Learn words with their partners: not just 'decision' but 'make a decision' and 'a difficult decision'.
- When two options mean the same, ask which one the other words in the sentence go with.
- Keep a notebook of whole expressions, with an example sentence for each.
- Idioms do not change: 'a piece of cake', never 'a slice of cake'.
A ready-to-print Idiomatic expressions & collocations — free worksheet with the answer key and explanations at the back. Download the PDF worksheet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an idiom and a collocation?
A collocation is a natural word partnership (heavy rain, take a photo); an idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning is not the sum of its words (bite the bullet).
Why can't I use a word with the same meaning?
Because collocations are a matter of usage, not logic: we say 'make a mistake', not 'do a mistake', although both verbs could seem to fit.
Which idioms should I learn first?
Common, current ones used in everyday conversation and writing — not rare or old-fashioned sayings.
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