# ielts_vocabulary_collocations_idioms - **Original Source:** `ielts_vocabulary_collocations_idioms.txt` - **Category:** `metodo` - **Original Format:** `.txt` --- VOCABULARY, COLLOCATIONS AND IDIOMS. AN ACTIVATION TRACK. This is not a teaching track. Almost everything here you already know somewhere in your head. The aim is to bring it to the surface so it is ready to use, instead of sitting passively while you reach for something plainer under pressure. For the collocations, say them quickly, as recognition, not as new learning. For the idioms, say the whole example sentence, not just the phrase on its own, because the sentence is what will actually come back to you in the room, not the isolated phrase. Collocations are safe in both Writing and Speaking. Idioms belong to Speaking only, in their natural spoken register. Never write an idiom in Task Two. And in Speaking, two or three well placed idioms across a whole test sounds fluent. Six in one answer sounds rehearsed. Let them surface, do not force them in. EDUCATION AND LEARNING. Collocations. Repeat each. Acquire knowledge. Sit an exam. Cover the syllabus. Drop out of school. Pursue higher education. Rote learning. A steep learning curve. Extracurricular activities. Academic achievement. Vocational training. Lifelong learning. A demanding curriculum. Close the achievement gap. Idioms, each inside a full sentence. Repeat each one. It took him a few months to learn the ropes as a new resident. Students often burn the midnight oil right before finals. She has been hitting the books all week for the exam. Once you get the hang of academic writing, it becomes much faster. The new curriculum sent teachers back to square one. The lecture gave the students plenty of food for thought. HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE. Collocations. Repeat each. Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Chronic illness. A balanced diet. Mental health issues. Access to healthcare. A sedentary lifestyle. Preventive care. Life expectancy. A public health crisis. Physical and mental wellbeing. A strain on the healthcare system. Over the counter medication. Idioms. Repeat each. He has been under the weather since Monday. After the check up, she got a clean bill of health. It took months of therapy to get him back on his feet. Night shifts really take a toll on your sleep. Many junior doctors burn out within the first two years. Prevention is always better than a cure, and it is far cheaper too. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. Collocations. Repeat each. Carbon footprint. Renewable energy sources. Greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental degradation. Biodiversity loss. Sustainable development. Single use plastics. Raise environmental awareness. Tackle climate change. Curb emissions. A coastal region under threat. Idioms. Repeat each. Plastic waste in the ocean is just the tip of the iceberg. Some scientists call climate change a ticking time bomb. Critics say the new policy is too little, too late. It will take a global effort to turn the tide on deforestation. TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA. Collocations. Repeat each. Cutting edge technology. The digital divide. Data privacy concerns. Social media addiction. Spread misinformation. Streamline a process. Disrupt an industry. Go viral. Screen time. Information overload. Idioms. Repeat each. Social media is a double edged sword, it connects people but fuels comparison. Group chats keep the whole team in the loop. Many brands jumped on the bandwagon once the app went viral. The vaccine was a genuine game changer for public health. WORK, ECONOMY AND BUSINESS. Collocations. Repeat each. A skilled workforce. Economic downturn. Financial precarity. Job security. A competitive salary. Career prospects. Work life balance. Corporate culture. Streamline operations. A structural barrier. Drive economic growth. Per hour productivity. Idioms. Repeat each. She climbed the corporate ladder faster than most of her peers. The company cut corners on safety to save money. The business finally moved from the red into the black. Freelancers often struggle to keep their heads above water. He gave up his nine to five to start his own clinic. SOCIETY, RELATIONSHIPS AND CULTURE. Collocations. Repeat each. A close knit community. Cultural identity. The generational gap. Social cohesion. A support network. Foster empathy. Civic duty. Social norms. Peer pressure. A cultural melting pot. Preserve traditions. Idioms. Repeat each. New immigrants often feel like they are all in the same boat. A shared joke can break the ice between strangers. The two generations do not always see eye to eye on tradition. He felt like a fish out of water in his first year abroad. CRIME, LAW AND GOVERNMENT. Collocations. Repeat each. Enforce the law. A miscarriage of justice. Impose a quota. A regulatory framework. Civil liberties. Law abiding citizens. A deterrent effect. Hold someone accountable. A repeat offender. Due process. Idioms. Repeat each. He almost got away with the fraud. Eventually, the long arm of the law caught up with him. No public official should be above the law. Critics said the fine was just a slap on the wrist. TRAVEL, GLOBALISATION AND CULTURE. Collocations. Repeat each. Cultural exchange. A global village. Cross cultural communication. Mass tourism. Preserve heritage sites. An economic migrant. A coastal destination. Idioms. Repeat each. Living abroad really broadened her horizons. When in Rome, he tried every local dish without hesitation. The clinic became a home away from home for many patients. OPINIONS, ARGUMENT AND NUANCE. THE ONES THAT WIN PART THREE. These are the idioms that make an opinion sound considered rather than rehearsed. Repeat each in full. Allowing one exception can be a slippery slope. Sometimes policy is just choosing the lesser of two evils. I try not to sit on the fence on issues like this. Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. At the end of the day, it comes down to resources. There is more to it than meets the eye. I would take that statistic with a grain of salt. The lion's share of the budget goes to housing. That funding is a drop in the ocean compared to the need. Good public clinics are few and far between in rural areas. EFFORT, CHANGE AND PROGRESS. Repeat each in full. Reforming the system has been an uphill battle. It is a step in the right direction, even if it is not enough. When the plan failed, they went back to the drawing board. The new guidelines raised the bar for training standards. Several reforms are already in the pipeline. Old habits die hard, especially in large institutions. It will not happen overnight, but it is moving in the right direction. DEGREE AND EXTENT. FOR WHEN A NUMBER WOULD SOUND TOO CLINICAL. Repeat each in full. The improvement was marginal at best. The difference was night and day. It made all the difference in the world. The change was barely noticeable. The gap between the two groups was night and day. CLOSING NOTE. None of this is new information. It was already somewhere in your vocabulary before you listened. If two or three of these surface naturally tomorrow, in Speaking, in the right place, that is the whole exercise working exactly as intended. Do not go looking for a slot to use one. Let the topic bring it to you. End of track.