English language has hundreds of different collocations. They help us express ourselves better and enrich our language. But what are they?

Collocations are groups of two or more words that commonly go together.  If you replace a word in a collocation with a similar one, it won’t sound natural to a native English speaker. For example, you can say “a quick shower” but can’t say “a fast shower” instead. 

Collocations express emotions, actions and ideas. English language wouldn’t be that rich without them.

In this lesson we will discuss 5 collocations with “make”. Here we go!

1) To make a fortune

Meaning: to become rich, to make a large amount of money

Examples:

He made a fortune after investing into Bitcoin but lost all his money a few weeks after.

We’ll make a fortune if we buy property there.

2) To make fun of someone

Meaning:  to mock or tease someone

Examples:

Stop making fun of me! I’m not going to talk to you!

His classmates used to make fun of him because he was wearing glasses.

3) To make up one’s mind

Meaning:  to decide to do something

Examples:

They’ve finally made up their minds to move out of Arlington. It was high time to do that.

Should I buy Mercedes or BMW? I can’t make up my mind on that.

4) To make sure

Meaning: to confirm and verify, to ensure that something happens or is done.

Examples:

Make sure to feed the cat when you’re at the grandma’s house.

I have to make sure that the yard is mown.

5) To make a mess

Meaning: to ruin something or to make a lot of mistakes while doing something.

Examples:

How did you manage to make a mess in your room in such a short period of time?

She made a mess out of her life so quickly.