Collocations are words which commonly go together, often forming familiar phrases or expressions. Black and white, an open door, best friend and pass a test are just a few examples.

Below are some incomplete expressions and phrases from the story. Before you click on the answer page links, look through the story and write them down on a piece of paper. Phrases indicated with asterisks ***, may appear in two or more different phrases in the story.

2) bread and __________ pg 84 par 2, pg 88 par 3

3) It __________ nothing pg 84 par 2

4) Ready for __________ pg 85 par 2

5) *** look __________ pg 85 par 4

6) Over your __________ pg 84 par 2

7) __________ else pg 85 par 5

8) *** strange __________ pg 85 bottom

9) *** lose your __________ pg 85 bottom

10) *** around the __________ pg 85 bottom

11) *** __________ the street pg 85 bottom

12) young __________ pg 86 par 1

13) __________-looking pg 86 par 1

14) *** __________ shop pg 86 par 1

15) __________ door pg 86 par 3

16) a __________'s office pg 86 par 3

17) *** turn __________ pg 86 par 5

19) *** a piece of __________ pg 86 par 8

20) a crowd of __________ pg 87 par 2

21) *** ground __________ pg 87 par 2

22) furnished __________ pg 87 par 3

23) come __________ pg 88 par 2

24) a __________ of milk pg 88 par 4

25) wild __________ pg 88 par 8

26) __________ alone pg 88 bottom

27) *** __________ your eyes pg 89 par 1

28) __________ asleep pg 89 par 1

29) say good __________ pg 89 par 3

30) __________ a question pg 89 par 4

31) a __________ pain pg 89 par 6

32) *** __________ light pg 89 bottom

33) point a __________ pg 89 bottom

For example, for *** __________ the street, O. Henry uses along the street, across the street and down the street.

When you have done that, CLICK HERE to check your answers.

After you have finished, look at the phrases not marked with asterisks and see if you can make some new phrases by changing one word.

For example, fall asleep can be changed to fall down or sound asleep, by changing either the first or second word. You can check your new answers in a dictionary to see if they are common collocations.