Collocations

It’s hard to take _____ criticism, especially if it’s true.

I wasn’t expecting much of a payrise, so I was ______ surprised when I got a sizeable one.

I have _____ admiration for the senator. She’s been a respected member of Congress for over thirty years. 

The weather report is calling for _____ rain this afternoon. There’s a flood watch in effect for several counties.

I was exhausted, so I drank a double espresso. Now I’m _____ awake.( highly - wide - thoroughly - entirely )

I was expecting a brief overview, so I was surprised when they went into everything in _____ detail.

This isn’t something to be taken lightly. It’s a _____ decision. Why don’t you sleep on it and tell me your answer in the morning?

We can’t afford to hire someone we need to train. We need someone who can step in and have a(n) _____ impact.

Can we meet at 6:30 instead of 7:30 for dinner? I had a _____ lunch, and I’m starting to get hungry. ( light - slight - modest - little )

Bill’s doctor told him that he needs to start getting ______ exercise. He’s overweight and has high blood pressure. ( usual - routine - consistent - regular )

I didn’t like the house I looked at today. It was rather cramped and there was a _____ smell in the basement.

I didn’t want to bother Carl. He was in his office and it looked like he was lost in ______ thought. ( deep - great - heavy - serious )

I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’re making a _____ mistake. ( huge - great - massive - great )

We should hold ourselves to _____ standards. We shouldn’t be satisfied with these mediocre results. ( high - large - big - great )

Last year we had several blizzards and it was bitterly cold almost every day. Fortunately, this year we’re having a _____ winter. ( soft - weak - slight - mild )

The database has an incredibly ______ amount of information.

Do we have any idea what the _____ cause of this issue is? 

Our CEO and company president got into a(n) _____ debate yesterday. They were at each other’s throats. ( harsh - heated - strong - angry )

The news was a shock for Miguel. He stared at his friends in _____ disbelief.

Honestly, I have no idea which candidate I’m voting for. I just don’t have very _____ political beliefs. ( hard - great - big - strong )

There is a _____ chance that I’ll have to travel to one of our subsidiaries in April.

Big Data is a _____ topic right now in the IT field. ( hot - popular - sensational - favorable )

I was nervous about skydiving at first, but now I’m happy I did it. What a(n) _____ experience!

This research is too general. What we need is more _____ information.

Some people will undoubtedly be a few minutes late. There is really ______ traffic today. ( harsh - high - strong - heavy )