Reading

list of Collocations provided officially by Pearson


Strategy 1:

1). After "the",  "a",  "an"  noun appears.
2). After  "a",  "an"  singular noun appears.
( "A" is used before nouns that begin with  consonant sounds.
"An" is used before nouns that begin with vowel sounds.)
3). After "the" singular or plural  noun appears.


1. She is ___ honest woman.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: B) an
(“Honest” starts with a vowel sound)

2. I saw ___ elephant at the zoo.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: B) an

3. I bought ___ book yesterday.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: A) a

4. Can you close ___ door, please?

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: C) the
(Referring to a specific door that both speaker and listener know)

5. He works as ___ engineer.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: B) an

6. We went to ___ park near my house.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: C) the

7. I don’t like ___ milk.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: D) no article
(Milk is an uncountable noun in general statements)

8. He is ___ best player on the team.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: C) the
(Superlatives always take “the”)

9. We need to find ___ place to eat.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: A) a

10. I listened to ___ interesting podcast yesterday.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

✅ Correct Answer: B) an



1. ___ apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: B) An

2. ___ moon looks beautiful tonight.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: C) The

3. ___ university in my city is well-known.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: A) A
(“University” starts with a consonant sound /juː/)

4. ___ honesty is the best policy.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: D) No article
(Abstract nouns usually take no article in general statements)

5. ___ hour passed before the ambulance arrived.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: B) An
(“Hour” starts with a vowel sound because the 'h' is silent)

6. ___ Nile is the longest river in the world.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: C) The

7. ___ child needs love and care.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: A) A

8. ___ internet has changed the way we communicate.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: C) The

9. ___ MBA degree can open many doors.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: B) An
(“MBA” starts with the sound /ɛm/, a vowel sound)

10. ___ water in this glass is cold.

A) A
B) An
C) The
D) No article

✅ Answer: C) The
(Refers to specific water in this glass)


✅ Articles Practice – Sentences with Fixed Article + Noun Options

(Choose the noun that fits correctly with the given article in the sentence.)

**1. She adopted a ___ from the shelter.

A) apple
B) dog
C) hour
D) umbrella

✅ Answer: B) dog
(“Dog” starts with a consonant sound, suitable with “a”)

**2. He waited for an ___ to start the meeting.

A) user
B) hour
C) bike
D) unicorn

✅ Answer: B) hour
(“Hour” starts with a silent "h" → vowel sound)

**3. We visited the ___ during our trip to Agra.

A) library
B) Taj Mahal
C) friend
D) museum

✅ Answer: B) Taj Mahal
(Specific famous monument – needs “the”)

**4. She gave me a ___ as a birthday gift.

A) elephant
B) umbrella
C) book
D) idea

✅ Answer: C) book

**5. He is an ___ with NASA.

A) astronaut
B) scientist
C) user
D) European

✅ Answer: A) astronaut

**6. They explored the ___ on their vacation.

A) islands
B) Pacific Ocean
C) house
D) cat

✅ Answer: B) Pacific Ocean

**7. I saw a ___ flying in the sky.

A) eagle
B) ant
C) ostrich
D) honest bird

✅ Answer: A) eagle

**8. She has an ___ for the new project.

A) book
B) idea
C) manager
D) unicorn

✅ Answer: B) idea

**9. He bought a ___ from the shop near the corner.

A) apple
B) umbrella
C) house
D) hour

✅ Answer: C) house

**10. I watched the ___ rise from the beach.

A) mountain
B) sun
C) bird
D) kite

✅ Answer: B) sun

✅ Articles + Noun Options – Sentence Completion

(Choose the correct noun from the options to complete the sentence appropriately.)

1. _________ will enter the market tomorrow.

A) lion
B) elephant
C) monkeys

✅ Answer: The monkeys
(“The monkeys” = definite, plural subject)

2. _________ is sleeping under the tree.

A) elephant
B) lion
C) monkeys

✅ Answer: The lion
(Use “The” for specific animals; singular noun requires singular verb)

3. _________ are climbing the trees in the forest.

A) a lion
B) the elephants
C) an elephant

✅ Answer: The elephants

4. _________ came to the zoo this morning.

A) A monkey
B) Monkeys
C) The monkey

✅ Answer: A monkey
(Refers to one unidentified monkey)

5. _________ is making a loud noise.

A) An elephant
B) Monkeys
C) The lions

✅ Answer: An elephant

6. _________ were roaming around freely.

A) A lion
B) The monkeys
C) An elephant

✅ Answer: The monkeys

7. _________ is hiding behind the bushes.

A) A lion
B) Monkeys
C) The elephants

✅ Answer: A lion

8. _________ are known for their strength.

A) The elephants
B) A monkey
C) An elephant

✅ Answer: The elephants

Strategy 2:

After shall, should, can, could, to, will, would + V1(base form) should be used.


1. You should ___ your homework before dinner.

A) doing
B) do
C) does
D) did

Answer: B) do
(After “should,” use the base form)

2. He can ___ very fast when he wants.

A) run
B) runs
C) running
D) ran

Answer: A) run

3. They will ___ the project next week.

A) finish
B) finishes
C) finishing
D) finished

Answer: A) finish

4. We must ___ leave early to catch the train.

A) to
B) leaving
C) leave
D) left

Answer: C) leave

5. I would ___ like some coffee, please.

A) drink
B) drinks
C) drinking
D) drank

Answer: A) drink

6. She could ___ solve the problem easily.

A) solve
B) solves
C) solved
D) solving

Answer: A) solve

7. They decided to ___ the meeting tomorrow.

A) cancel
B) cancels
C) cancelled
D) cancelling

Answer: A) cancel
(“to” + base form)

8. We hope to ___ the exam successfully.

A) pass
B) passes
C) passed
D) passing

Answer: A) pass

9. You shall ___ be rewarded for your efforts.

A) receive
B) receives
C) received
D) receiving

Answer: A) receive

10. He plans to ___ abroad next year.

A) study
B) studies
C) studied
D) studying

Answer: A) study



Strategy 3:

 Have/has/had + past participle tense (V3)

After have/has/had, choose the past participle of a verb with the form -ed or the third form.

Example:

The project has been accepted by the manager.

Alan had finished his project right before the deadline last week.

I have worked as a nurse for 15 years.

Strategy 4:

Am/is/are/was/were + past participle tense (V3)

After am/is/are/was/were, choose the past participle of a verb with the form -ed or the third form.

Example:

The customer team is assigned lots of tasks.

Our company was bought by a big corporation last month.

However, the verb is sometimes the first form after is/am/are/was/were.

Example:

Kim was sleeping when the bell rang.

My friends are coming to Lily’s wedding party.

Strategy 5:

Be/being/been+ past participle tense (V3)

After be/been/being, choose the past participle of a verb with the form -ed or the third form.

Example:

Her favourite vase has been broken by her little daughter.

Strategy 6:

Preposition ‘to’ + first form of the verb (V1)

After the preposition “to”, choose a verb in the present or first form of the verb.

Example:

She wants to register for a nursing course in Australia.

Strategy 7:

Preposition with, of, for, about + verb-ing

After the prepositions ‘with’, ‘of’, ‘for’, and ‘about’ (except for ‘to’), use verbs ending in ‘-ing’.

Example:

He was sorry for not picking me up.

My son dreamed of becoming an astronaut in the future.

Strategy 8:

 Articles a/an/the + noun

There are two types of articles:

  • The definite article ‘The’
  • The indefinite article ‘a’, ‘an’

‘A’ or ‘an’ frequently appears before ‘the’ before the same noun in a paragraph.

Remember that nouns always come after articles. So, if the blank comes after a/an/the, you can immediately identify the noun from the list of options.

Here are the 3 Article Rules:

  1. “An” comes before words that begin with a vowel sound—five vowels” a, e, i, o, u.

Example: an aeroplane, an orange, an egg

  1. “A” comes before words that begin with consonants.

Example: a cat, a house, a tree

  1. ‘The’ appears before noun forms to emphasize that the reader knows the noun’s identity.

Example: “I will buy the car which comes with a high-class interior“. The speaker means a specific car that is mentioned before.

Strategy 9:

Article a/an/the + adjective + noun

While rule 6 indicates that a/an/the comes with nouns, they may additionally occur with noun phrases (adjective + noun).

If there is a space between an article and a noun, you can add an adjective to fill it.

Example: a high mountain, an unforgettable memory

Strategy 10:

Modal verb + first form of the verb

can/ could/shall/should/may/might/will/ would/must/have to + first verb form

A modal verb (or modal auxiliary verb) expresses the certainty and uncertainty of action.

Example:

You must park your car in the parking zone.

Jack can finish the task before this weekend.

My sister should prepare well before the exam date.

Strategy 11:

Many + Plural nouns

After ‘many’, use a plural noun to fill in the gap. The plural form of a noun will always end with “s or es”.

Example:

Many birds were startled by the sound of gunfire.

Strategy 12:

Conjunction rule

The verb form must remain consistent before and after a conjunction

Example:

I will quit this job and start a new career in Australia.

 Strategy 13:

Rule (Corrected & Clarified):
"If a sentence ends and is followed by another idea without a full stop or connector (like and, but, because, etc.), the second part should usually begin with the -ing form of the verb (a participial phrase)."

✅ Examples:

  1. ❌ He opened the door, he looked outside.
    ✅ He opened the door, looking outside.

  2. ❌ She completed the report, she sent it to her manager.
    ✅ She completed the report, sending it to her manager.

  3. ❌ The boy ran down the stairs, he tripped and fell.
    ✅ The boy ran down the stairs, tripping and falling.

🚫 Incorrect Use:

You should not use this form when:

  • A conjunction (and, but, so, etc.) is already used.

  • The two parts are separate full sentences needing a period.

You're right — and let's make that idea clearer and more precise:

 Strategy 14:

After the preposition "of", a noun (or noun phrase) usually follows.

"Of" is a preposition, and prepositions are typically followed by nouns, pronouns, or gerunds (verbs ending in -ing used as nouns).

🔹 Common Structures:

  1. of + noun

    • The color of the sky

    • The end of the movie

    • A cup of coffee

  2. of + pronoun

    • Most of them

    • All of us

    • Neither of you

  3. of + gerund (-ing form as a noun)

    • The idea of going abroad

    • The fear of failing

    • The habit of smoking

❌ Incorrect:

  • The importance of he is great.
    ✅ The importance of him is great.

  • I am tired of to run.
    ✅ I am tired of running.


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