Vocabulary: Everyday Collocations Worksheet (A2)
A printable A2 vocabulary worksheet on the words that go together: make a mistake, do the shopping, take a photograph, have breakfast, get better. Five tasks, a full answer key and teacher's notes.
About this worksheet
Collocation is the difference between correct English and natural English. A learner who says do a mistake has broken no grammar rule, and every listener notices. These are learnt as pairs, which is what this sheet practises.
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Vocabulary: Everyday Collocations · Level A2 · About 40 minutes
Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Five verbs that take their own partners
Make is for things you produce or create: make a cake, make a noise, make a mistake, make a decision, make friends, make money, make the bed.
Do is for work, jobs and activities in general: do your homework, do the shopping, do the washing-up, do exercise, do your best, do nothing.
Take is for things you pick up, use or spend: take a photograph, take a bus, take a shower, take medicine, take an examination, take time.
Have is for meals, experiences and things you possess for a while: have breakfast, have a shower, have a good time, have a look, have a headache, have a baby. Note that have a shower and take a shower are both correct.
Get is for changes and for receiving: get better, get dark, get married, get a letter, get home, get angry, get dressed.
There is no rule that explains why we say make a mistake and do the shopping. Learn the two words together - write make a mistake, never just mistake - and the pairs stay.
Task 1. Which verb?
Write make, do, take, have or get in front of each phrase. Some take more than one - write both.
Example: ____ the shopping → do the shopping
- ____ a photograph · ____ a mistake · ____ your homework
- ____ breakfast · ____ a shower · ____ the bed
- ____ better · ____ a decision · ____ the bus
- ____ a headache · ____ the washing-up · ____ married
- ____ friends · ____ dressed · ____ your best
Task 2. Complete the sentences
Use the right form of make, do, take, have or get. Watch the tense.
Example: I always have breakfast at seven.
- Sorry - I ________ a mistake. Let me start again.
- It ________ dark very early in December.
- She ________ a photograph of the whole class.
- Could you ________ the washing-up tonight?
- We ________ a really good time at the wedding.
- He ________ the bus to work every morning.
- Have you ________ your homework yet?
Task 3. Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one wrong verb. Cross it out and write the right one.
Example: I ~~did~~ made a mistake in the second question.
- She makes her homework every evening. ____________
- Can I take a look at your dictionary? ____________
- We must do a decision before Friday. ____________
- He took a bad cold last week. ____________
- I need to do a shower before we go out. ____________
- They did friends very quickly. ____________
Task 4. Match and use
Match each beginning on the left with an ending on the right, then write two of the complete phrases in sentences of your own.
- make · do · take · have · get
- Endings: a) your best b) a noise c) angry d) medicine e) a look
- make ____ do ____ take ____ have ____ get ____
- My sentence 1: ____________________________________________
- My sentence 2: ____________________________________________
Task 5. Your turn
Write six sentences about yesterday and today using six different collocations from this worksheet. Underline the two words that go together.
- ____________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________
For the teacher: answer key
| Task | Answers |
|---|---|
| Task 1 | take a photograph; make a mistake; do your homework. have breakfast; have/take a shower; make the bed. get better; make a decision; take the bus. have a headache; do the washing-up; get married. make friends; get dressed; do your best. |
| Task 2 | 1 made 2 gets 3 took 4 do 5 had 6 takes 7 done |
| Task 3 | 1 does her homework 2 correct as written - have a look and take a look are both right, so accept it and say why 3 make a decision 4 caught/got a bad cold 5 have (or take) a shower 6 made friends |
| Task 4 | make b) a noise; do a) your best; take d) medicine; have e) a look; get c) angry. Sentences will vary. |
| Task 5 | Answers will vary. Check that both words of the pair are right, and that the tense fits: I made a mistake, not I make a mistake, about yesterday. |
Teacher's notes
- Timing: Tasks 1 to 4 take about 30 minutes; Task 5 about 10, or set it as homework.
- Task 3 has a trap, deliberately. Sentence 2 is already correct, and the class will change it anyway because the instruction says every sentence has a mistake. When they do, tell them the instruction was the trap: they must check the sentence, not obey the heading. That lesson transfers to every examination they sit.
- Record pairs, never single words. Insist that notebooks show make a mistake, not mistake. This is the whole method, and five minutes spent enforcing it saves a year of do a mistake.
- The first language is the cause. Most learners' languages use one verb where English uses two or three. Ask what make and do both translate to in their language - the answer explains their errors and makes them easier to accept.
- Drill aloud before writing. Make a mistake, do the shopping, take a photo - said three times each, quickly, is worth more than a written exercise for phrases this fixed.
- Extension: a collocation wall. One verb a week; learners add a phrase whenever they meet one, and wrong pairs come down with the class deciding why.
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About this worksheet
Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.