Collocations - with thanks to the Grammar-Monster.com

What Is a Collocation? (with Examples)

A collocation is a group of words that sound natural when used together. For example:

(Using "fast" with "train" sounds natural to a native speaker. This is an example of a collocation.)

(This is not technically wrong, but using "quick" with "train" sounds unnatural, even though the words are perfectly understandable.)

Here are some more examples:

Natural English Unnatural English

quick shower - natural English fast shower - unnatural English

strong wind - natural English fast wind - unnatural English

utterly ridiculous - natural English very ridiculous - unnatural English

fully aware - natural English vastly aware - unnatural English

take medicine - natural English drink medicine - unnatural English

catch a cold - natural English receive a cold - unnatural English