Which is an example of a collocation in academic writing?

• A. Conduct a study
• B. Make an assumption
• C. Take a stance
• D. Provide a theory

Answer: (A)

Collocations in academic writing are fixed word pairings that native speakers use to sound precise and natural. A classic example is a verb that pairs with a specific noun to describe research activity: "conduct a study." This pairing is widely used in scholarly work, especially in methods and results, to indicate that the researchers carried out an investigative process. The verb "conduct" signals an organized, formal approach to gathering data, and "study" is the common noun that names that investigative effort. While phrases like "make an assumption," "take a stance," or "provide a theory" are understandable, they are less emblematic of the methodological language that characterizes rigorous academic writing. They can feel more general or rhetorical rather than the standard, field-specific action of performing a formal investigation.