Advanced verb and noun collocations (C1 Vocabulary)
Wield goes with power words, garner with support or praise, and undermine with trust or confidence.
Power and influence collocations
Not ""The mayor makes huge influence in the council."" — say ""The mayor wields huge influence in the council."". Influence is not something you make: you wield it, or you exert it in a more neutral academic style.
Try it: Amina: Why does every venue owner want a mention on Lani's blog? Sofia: A single post can ___ over its readers. Choose the words for the blank. (wield influence / harbor doubts / shoulder responsibility) Answer: wield influence — Wield influence means to exercise power over others, which a popular post does over its audience.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
wield influence
/wiːld ˈɪnfluəns/
Even a small committee can wield great influence when it controls the funds.
garner support
/ˈɡɑrnər səˈpɔrt/
The petition soon garnered support from students and staff.
undermine confidence
/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn ˈkɑnfɪdəns/
Repeated errors in the figures can undermine confidence in a report.
Responsibility and consequence collocations
Shoulder goes with responsibility or blame, harbor with doubts or resentment, and incur with losses, costs or debts.
Try it: Amina: Did everyone approve the new rules? Sofia: Most did, but a few members continued to ___ about them. Choose the words for the blank. (harbor doubts / reap benefits / garner support) Answer: harbor doubts — Harbor doubts means to keep a negative feeling alive over time, as the few members did.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
shoulder responsibility
/ˈʃoʊldər rɪˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/
Mateo stepped forward to shoulder responsibility when the delivery was late.
harbor doubts
/ˈhɑrbər daʊts/
Some readers still harbor doubts over the survey's sample size.
incur losses
/ɪnˈkɜr ˈlɔsɪz/
A bookshop can incur losses if the fall orders arrive late.
Results and risk collocations
Reap goes with benefits or rewards, yield with results, court means to invite controversy or risk, and exercise goes with discretion or caution.
Not ""The new policy reaped controversy."" — say ""The new policy courted controversy."". You usually reap something good that you earned; you court a risk, such as controversy.
Try it: Farid: A source says Farrisen Gym may close. Should the newsletter run it today? Liam: Not yet. With an unconfirmed rumor, we have to ___. Choose the words for the blank. (exercise discretion / court controversy / reap benefits) Answer: exercise discretion — Exercise discretion means using careful judgment about what to publish, which fits holding an unconfirmed rumor.
Try it: Amina: Did the ticketing error hurt the festival? Sofia: Yes. The festival went on to ___, and the organizers agreed to ___ publicly. Choose the words for the two blanks. (incur losses ... shoulder responsibility / reap benefits ... garner support / harbor doubts ... wield influence) Answer: incur losses ... shoulder responsibility — Becoming liable for financial costs is incur losses, and accepting blame is shoulder responsibility.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
reap benefits
/riːp ˈbɛnəfɪts/
Students who review every week reap real benefits at exam time.
yield results
/jiːld rɪˈzʌlts/
The new reading program yielded results within a month.
court controversy
/kɔrt ˈkɑntrəˌvɜrsi/
By naming the donors, the newsletter courted controversy.
exercise discretion
/ˈɛksərˌsaɪz dɪˈskrɛʃən/
Staff at Senfarrow Clinic exercise discretion with patient details.
What are the common mistakes?
Incorrect
Correct
Why
"The mayor makes huge influence in the council."
"The mayor wields huge influence in the council."
Influence is not something you make: you wield it, or you exert it in a more neutral academic style.
"The new policy reaped controversy."
"The new policy courted controversy."
You usually reap something good that you earned; you court a risk, such as controversy.