What is a collocation? Provide an example relevant to academic writing.

• A. A natural word pair that often goes together; e.g., 'conduct a study.'
• B. A single word used repeatedly for emphasis.
• C. A sentence that stands alone.
• D. A word formed by combining two smaller words.

Answer: (A)

A collocation is a natural word pair that tends to occur together in fluent language. In academic writing, using the right collocations makes your prose sound precise and conventional. For example, “conduct a study” is a very common pairing: a verb (conduct) routinely goes with the noun study, so this combination feels natural to readers and is widely accepted in scholarly texts.

This isn’t about a single word used for emphasis, nor about a sentence that stands alone, nor about a word formed by joining two smaller words. It’s specifically about how certain words routinely pair up to express ideas cleanly and with the expected nuance in formal writing. Other typical academic collocations include phrases like “draw a conclusion,” “present findings,” or “significant results,” which you’ll recognize as standard, idiomatic pairings rather than isolated words or standalone sentences.