Tóm tắt
Grammatical collocations là các kết hợp cố định giữa một từ chính (verb / adjective / noun) và một giới từ (preposition) hoặc particle. Ví dụ: depend + on, interested + in, reason + for. Những kết hợp này không có quy tắc — phải học thuộc từng cặp. Sai một preposition = lỗi rõ rệt mà examiner dễ phát hiện.
Tại sao quan trọng
Trong tiếng Việt, giới từ ít cố định và linh hoạt theo ngữ cảnh. Trong tiếng Anh, mỗi verb / adjective / noun thường có một (đôi khi vài) giới từ cố định đi kèm. Học sai một preposition = câu sai grammar.
Người Việt thường gặp 3 lỗi:
- Bê preposition VN sang EN. "Tôi nghe nhạc" → "I listen [the] music" (thiếu "to"). VN không cần preposition; EN bắt buộc.
- Chọn sai preposition tương tự nghĩa. "good in / at / on English" — chỉ "at" đúng. "in" và "on" thường được chọn vì có vẻ chỉ "trong/về".
- Thêm preposition không cần. "discuss about this issue" — "discuss" trong English không cần "about". Tiếng Việt "thảo luận về" → translation lỗi.
Trong IELTS Speaking, lỗi collocation hạ cả LR và GRA. Trong Writing, examiner thường gạch chân đỏ các preposition sai.
Phần 1: Verb + Preposition collocations
High-frequency list (ưu tiên thuộc 30 cái này)
| Verb + prep | VN | Ví dụ |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | phụ thuộc vào | "It depends on the weather." |
| listen to | nghe (cần to!) | "I listen to music every day." |
| wait for | chờ | "I'm waiting for the bus." |
| belong to | thuộc về | "This book belongs to me." |
| look at | nhìn vào | "Look at this photo." |
| look for | tìm | "I'm looking for my keys." |
| look after | chăm sóc | "She looks after her grandmother." |
| look forward to | mong chờ | "I look forward to your reply." (+ V-ing!) |
| think about | suy nghĩ về | "I'm thinking about my future." |
| think of | nghĩ đến / có ý kiến gì | "What do you think of this?" |
| agree with (someone) | đồng ý với (người) | "I agree with you." |
| agree on (something) | đồng ý về (vấn đề) | "We agreed on the price." |
| apologise for | xin lỗi vì | "I apologise for being late." |
| apply for | nộp đơn (việc, hộ chiếu) | "I applied for a scholarship." |
| apply to | áp dụng vào / nộp cho (đại học) | "She applied to Harvard." |
| arrive at (small place) | đến (chỗ nhỏ) | "I arrived at the station." |
| arrive in (city / country) | đến (chỗ lớn) | "I arrived in Vietnam yesterday." |
| believe in | tin vào | "I believe in hard work." |
| complain about | than phiền về | "He complained about the noise." |
| concentrate on | tập trung vào | "Concentrate on your studies." |
| consist of | gồm có | "The team consists of five people." |
| deal with | xử lý | "How do you deal with stress?" |
| focus on | tập trung vào | "I'll focus on grammar this week." |
| insist on | khăng khăng | "She insisted on paying." |
| prevent (someone) from | ngăn (ai) khỏi | "Rain prevented us from going." |
| rely on | trông cậy vào | "I rely on my parents." |
| search for | tìm kiếm | "Police searched for the missing dog." |
| succeed in | thành công ở | "She succeeded in passing the exam." |
| suffer from | bị (bệnh, khổ) | "He suffers from anxiety." |
| worry about | lo về | "Don't worry about it." |
Verbs that take NO preposition (often calque-error trap)
| Verb | Đừng thêm preposition | Lỗi VN |
|---|---|---|
| discuss | discuss the issue (✗ discuss about) | "Let's discuss about this." |
| enter | enter the room (✗ enter into) | "He entered into the room." |
| answer | answer the question (✗ answer to) | "Answer to my question." |
| marry | marry someone (✗ marry with) | "She married with a doctor." |
| lack | lack confidence (✗ lack of, when verb) | "He lacks of confidence." |
| mention | mention something (✗ mention about) | "He mentioned about it." |
| request | request information (✗ request for) | "She requested for the file." |
| reach | reach the destination (✗ reach to) | "We reached to the airport." |
Note: Một số trong list trên có dạng noun với preposition — "discussion about", "lack of", "request for" — nhưng dạng verb thì không cần. Đừng nhầm.
Phần 2: Adjective + Preposition collocations
High-frequency list (ưu tiên thuộc 25 cái)
| Adjective + prep | VN | Ví dụ |
|---|---|---|
| good at | giỏi về | "She's good at maths." |
| bad at | dở về | "I'm bad at sports." |
| interested in | hứng thú với | "I'm interested in history." |
| excited about | háo hức về | "I'm excited about the trip." |
| worried about | lo về | "She's worried about her exam." |
| afraid of | sợ | "He's afraid of dogs." |
| scared of | sợ | "I'm scared of heights." |
| fond of | thích, mến | "She's fond of children." |
| proud of | tự hào về | "I'm proud of my country." |
| ashamed of | xấu hổ về | "He's ashamed of his behaviour." |
| jealous of | ghen tỵ với | "He's jealous of his brother." |
| aware of | biết về | "I'm aware of the problem." |
| capable of | có khả năng | "She's capable of doing it." |
| full of | đầy | "The room was full of people." |
| tired of | chán | "I'm tired of waiting." |
| responsible for | chịu trách nhiệm về | "Parents are responsible for their children." |
| famous for | nổi tiếng vì | "Hue is famous for its food." |
| suitable for | phù hợp với | "This job isn't suitable for me." |
| similar to | giống với | "Vietnamese is similar to Chinese in some ways." |
| different from | khác với | "My opinion is different from yours." |
| married to | kết hôn với | "She's married to a teacher." |
| addicted to | nghiện | "He's addicted to his phone." |
| used to | quen với (+ V-ing or noun!) | "I'm used to spicy food." |
| kind to | tử tế với | "Be kind to animals." |
| angry with (someone) | giận (ai) | "She's angry with him." |
| angry about (something) | giận về (việc) | "He's angry about the delay." |
Phần 3: Noun + Preposition collocations
High-frequency list
| Noun + prep | Ví dụ |
|---|---|
| reason for | "What's the reason for your delay?" |
| solution to | "There's no easy solution to this problem." |
| answer to | "I don't know the answer to that question." |
| cause of | "The cause of the accident is unknown." |
| effect on / impact on | "Smoking has a bad effect on health." |
| advantage of / disadvantage of | "One advantage of living in a city is convenience." |
| increase in / decrease in | "There was an increase in unemployment." |
| demand for | "There's high demand for green energy." |
| need for | "We need to address the need for change." |
| interest in | "His interest in music started young." |
| knowledge of | "She has good knowledge of Vietnamese culture." |
| example of | "This is a good example of teamwork." |
| opinion on / about | "What's your opinion on this issue?" |
| attitude to / towards | "His attitude towards work is positive." |
| relationship with | "I have a good relationship with my parents." |
| difference between A and B | "What's the difference between formal and informal language?" |
Phần 4: Verb + Adverb collocations (high-impact ones)
| Collocation | Ví dụ |
|---|---|
| strongly agree / disagree | "I strongly disagree with that view." |
| completely understand | "I completely understand your concern." |
| deeply regret | "I deeply regret saying that." |
| highly recommend | "I highly recommend this restaurant." |
| firmly believe | "I firmly believe in equal rights." |
| seriously consider | "I'm seriously considering moving abroad." |
Lưu ý: trong Speaking, các adverb collocations này nâng tone từ "Band 6 plain" lên "Band 7+ specific". Thay vì "I really agree" → "I strongly agree" / "I firmly believe".
Lỗi thường gặp (chuyên cho người Việt)
Lỗi 1: Bỏ "to" sau "listen"
- ❌ "I listen music every day."
- ✅ "I listen to music every day."
- TẠI SAO: "listen" trong English là intransitive — không có direct object. Để chỉ object phải dùng "to".
Lỗi 2: "depend of" thay vì "depend on"
- ❌ "It depends of the weather."
- ✅ "It depends on the weather."
- TẠI SAO: Translation từ "phụ thuộc vào". VN dùng "vào" → người học chọn "of" vì nghe gần "vào". Nhưng English fixes: depend ON.
Lỗi 3: "discuss about" thay vì "discuss"
- ❌ "Let's discuss about this issue."
- ✅ "Let's discuss this issue."
- TẠI SAO: "discuss" đã bao gồm nghĩa "về". Không cần "about". (Compare: "talk about" — talk DOES need "about".)
Lỗi 4: "good in" thay vì "good at"
- ❌ "She's good in English."
- ✅ "She's good at English."
- TẠI SAO: Skill / ability collocates với "at", không phải "in".
- ⚠ Compare: "good in [a sentence/situation]" có dùng được khác nghĩa: "He's good in pressure situations" = handle pressure well.
Lỗi 5: "married with" thay vì "married to"
- ❌ "She's married with a doctor."
- ✅ "She's married to a doctor."
- TẠI SAO: Translation từ VN "kết hôn với". English uses "to" cho relationships (married to / engaged to / related to).
Lỗi 6: Wrong preposition with "afraid"
- ❌ "I'm afraid for snakes."
- ✅ "I'm afraid of snakes."
- TẠI SAO: "afraid of" = sợ một thứ; "afraid for" = lo cho ai (e.g., "I'm afraid for her safety" = lo cho sự an toàn của cô ấy).
Học chiến lược
Collocations là memorize, không phải reason. Strategy:
- Học theo cặp. Mỗi lần học một verb/adjective/noun mới, ghi luôn preposition đi kèm. Đừng học verb riêng.
- Học theo chunk. Ghi cả phrase: "depend on the weather", không chỉ "depend on".
- Notebook chuyên collocation. Một notebook riêng, chia 4 cột: V+prep | Adj+prep | N+prep | V+adv.
- Nghe + repeat. Listen IELTS samples Band 8+, transcribe các collocation, repeat cho thuộc rhythm.
- Test bản thân. Mỗi tuần kiểm tra: che cột preposition, viết lại theo verb.
Ứng dụng IELTS Speaking
Part 1 — câu trả lời tự nhiên
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
"I'm really interested in rock music. I've been listening to it since I was a teenager. I rely on music to help me focus on studying."
(4 collocations đúng trong 3 câu — tự nhiên, không gượng.)
Part 2 — long turn
"...When I think back, the trip was full of unexpected moments. I was excited about trying new food, worried about getting lost, and proud of my attempt to speak some local dialect. Looking back on it now, I'm grateful for every part of the experience."
Part 3 — discussion
Q: How does technology affect family relationships?
"The impact of technology on families is a topic worth discussing. On one hand, video calls help families stay in touch with each other across distances. On the other hand, excessive screen time can interfere with quality time together. So it depends on how families choose to use it."
Tóm tắt nhanh
- Verb + preposition: must-memorize 30 cái cho IELTS (depend on, listen to, look forward to, ...)
- Adjective + preposition: 25 cái (interested in, good at, afraid of, married to, ...)
- Noun + preposition: 16 cái (reason for, solution to, effect on, difference between, ...)
- Verb + adverb (intensifiers): strongly / completely / highly / firmly / deeply
- VN-specific traps: listen to (not "listen"), depend on (not "of"), discuss (not "discuss about"), good at (not "in"), married to (not "with")
- Học theo chunk, không học riêng từ; có notebook chuyên cho collocations.