Winds of Change / Canvas of Soil
Pairs that stick together
Learn words that are usually used together.
**Pairs joined by and.** Many word pairs describe one idea: exotic and stylish (appearance), villages and towns (place), thread and wool (material).
Fixed pairs keep their order. We say bread and butter, never butter and bread. Often the shorter word comes first.
Meanings to learn:
- high and dry: stuck without help or money;
- wear and tear: damage from normal use;
- facts and figures: accurate details;
- all and sundry: everyone;
- time and again: often;
- through thick and thin: even in difficult times;
- cut and run: escape quickly;
- hard and fast: strict, fixed.
Collocations: words that naturally go together. Sustainable livelihood, take an exam, take responsibility, run into a car, improve one's grammar. If a pair 'sounds wrong' (give an exam, own responsibility), it is not how English speakers say it. Collocations are learnt by reading and listening, not by rules.
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