Exercise:
Fill in the two gaps with nouns, adjectives, or prepositions in each sentence in order to come up with a collocation that
best completes the sentence. If need be, the meaning of the collocation is provided between brackets next to each sentence.
1. It's holiday time now at last. We'll be ___ and ___for Scotland. (travelling
from place to place)
2. The whole project is an ___-and-___ disaster. (in every way)
3.
A: How's your granddad?
B: He's still ___ and ___. (to continue to be alive and full of energy)
4. In a computer, you can move the file from one folder to another by cut and
paste or, as this process is alternatively called in computer science, ___ and ___.
5. She was beaten ___ and ___ in the match. (completely)
6. When the teacher went out of class, the students stood up to all sorts of ___
and ___. (glee; boisterous fun)
7. He spends his time ___ and ___ on the stock exchange. (making profit in dishonest
ways)
8. A list of ___ and ___ is given to every recruit. (things to do and things not
to do)
9. It was raining ___ and ___, and I got soaked to the skin. (heavily)
10. ___ and ___, the higher one's education, the more money they make. (Generally)
11. The judge declared the contract ___ and ___, as one of the two parties hadn't
signed it. (invalid)
12. I've been learning French ___ and ___ recently. (intermittently)
13. I'm not surprised Olaf and his wife have at last got divorced. They've always
been fighting ___ and ___. (fiercely)
14. I now pronounce you ___ and ___. (a married couple)
15. I can't just believe it. It's just another of his ___ and ___ stories. (lies)
16. It's a ___ and ___ rule at this club that you never borrow money from your
fellow members. (inviolable)
17. I enjoy the peacefulness and quietude of the countryside, but there are times
when I miss the ___ and ___ of London.
18. ___ and ___ wait for no man. (This is an axiom that means time is important)
19. We're leaving to Bristol tomorrow. We'll be up ___ and ___ before the traffic
builds up. (We'll be up very early)
20. You must look after yourself. Just look at you! Only ___ and ___. (very thin)
21. You can't throw your sister out surely – not your ___ and ___! (close
relation)
22. ___ and ___, welcome to the show. (Women and men)
23. Beatrice was such a nice guy with a great sense of humour. He was the ___
and ___ of the party. (He enlivened the party)
24. You don't need to install the software that accompanies this removable disk.
It's a ___ and ___. (It works as soon as it's connected to the computer)
25. The manager had to weigh the ___ and ___ to the proposal. (advantages and
disadvantages)
26. She's brilliant. She's ___ and ___ above her classmates.
27. Her home is so ___ and ___. It's more like a museum.
28. You can argue with her until you're ___ and ___ in the face and just waste
your time. She wouldn't change her mind.
29. The French police are dispersing the rioting crowds and are trying to restore
___ and ___.
30. He's sure to break those plates if you ask him to carry them. He's all ___
and ___. (clumsy)
Answer key: you are strongly advised
to work through the whole exercise before you check your answers with the key.
1. out and about
2. out-and-out
3. alive and kicking
4. drag and drop
5. fare and square
6. fun and games
7. wheeling and dealing
8. do's and don'ts
9. cats and dogs
10. By and large
11. null and void
12. on and off
13. tooth and nail
14. man and wife
15. cock and bull
16. hard and fast
17. hustle and bustle
18. Time and tide
19. bright and early
20. skin and bone
21. flesh and blood
22. Ladies and gentlemen
23. life and soul
24. plug and play
25. pro's and con's
26. head and shoulders
27. spick and span
28. black and blue
29. law and order
30. fingers and thumbs
