Study materials
The first sentence was written by someone translating word for word. The second sounds natural.
We made a research and paid attention on the strong rain.
Three mistakes in which words go together.
We did some research and paid attention to the heavy rain.
The same ideas, said the way English says them.
Naturalness depends a great deal on which words English usually puts together. This is called collocation. This article explains fixed pairs of verb and noun and of adjective and noun, and how to check collocations.
Verb and noun
Many nouns have their own verb, and it cannot be swapped for another with a similar meaning.
| Natural | Calque |
|---|---|
| do research, carry out a study | make a research |
| make a mistake, make a decision | do a mistake |
| take a photo, take a break | make a photo |
| give a presentation, give a talk | do a talk |
| pay attention | give attention, make attention |
Research is uncountable, so there is no a: do research, do some research. Take a decision is also correct in British English, while make a decision is usual everywhere.
The verb with the noun
A noun formed from an action often goes with a fixed verb. It is not translated word for word but learned together.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| make a decision, make an attempt | decide, try |
| carry out an analysis, a survey | analyse, survey |
| reach an agreement, a conclusion | agree, conclude |
| take action, take measures | act |
| give an explanation, a presentation | explain, present |
People say make a decision, not do a decision. Still, when one verb says the same, it is often better: We decided sounds livelier than We made a decision.
Adjective and noun
Different nouns express the same strength with different adjectives.
| Natural | Calque |
|---|---|
| heavy rain, heavy traffic | strong rain, big traffic |
| strong coffee, strong wind | heavy coffee |
| high price, high temperature | big price, expensive price |
| deep sleep, fast asleep | strong sleep |
Price itself means the cost, so expensive price is wrong. You say high price or simply expensive: The tickets are expensive.
How to check collocations
The most reliable way to check a collocation is a collocations dictionary or real examples of use, not a bilingual dictionary, because it gives the word on its own. A combination can be grammatically correct and still sound like a calque, a word-for-word translation from Ukrainian.
Common mistakes
The first mistake is make with research.
We made a research on sleep. → We did research on sleep. Or We carried out a study.
Research takes do and no a.
The second mistake is strong with rain.
We stayed in because of the strong rain. → … the heavy rain.
Rain is heavy in English.
The third mistake is expensive with price.
The flat has an expensive price. → The flat is expensive. Or The flat has a high price.
Price already means cost.
All three mistakes show in the word next to the noun. Research takes do and no a, rain is heavy, and price already means cost, so expensive price is wrong. Such combinations are learned whole and checked against real examples.