Business Collocations Exercises
B1-B2 Level
English Exercises is teacher-led by Charlie. About the teacher · How content is made
Collocations are partly fixed, so translating word by word can produce unnatural English. We usually make a profit, take responsibility, hold a meeting, reach an agreement, and meet a deadline. Some combinations have acceptable alternatives, such as hold a meeting and have a meeting, but others are more restricted. Practising them as complete phrases helps you write and speak faster because you do not need to build every sentence from separate words. It also improves accuracy in reports, interviews, and workplace discussions.
Quick Rule
business verb + fixed noun phrase, chosen by collocation rather than direct translation
- 1.We need to make a decision about the new office location by Monday.
- 2.The two companies reached an agreement after three weeks of negotiations.
- 3.Our team did not meet the deadline, so we requested an extension.
- 4.Could you take notes during the budget meeting?
- 5.The finance department has done the accounts for the financial year.
All 20 questions
Complete each sentence with the correct verb: make, do, have, take, hold, reach, or meet. Only one verb is correct for each collocation. Choose the correct verb for this common business collocation.
We need to _____ a decision about the new office location by Monday.
The two companies finally _____ an agreement after three weeks of negotiations.
Could you _____ notes during the meeting? I don't want to miss anything.
The manager wants to _____ a meeting to discuss the budget on Thursday.
Our team needs to _____ a presentation to the board next Friday.
It's important to _____ a good impression at your first job interview.
We _____ a short break after two hours of discussions.
The team worked hard all month to _____ the sales target.
I need to _____ the accounts before the end of the financial year.
The new marketing campaign _____ a big impact on sales in the first quarter.
It is the manager's job to _____ responsibility when something goes wrong.
Can we _____ a conference call tomorrow morning to go over the figures?
The company managed to _____ a profit for the third year in a row.
She _____ a lot of experience in project management, so she is the best person to lead the team.
We need to _____ action immediately — the problem is getting worse.
The project team _____ great progress last week and finished two weeks ahead of schedule.
The department failed to _____ the deadline and had to ask for more time.
Before signing the contract, we need to _____ more research into the market.
The product needs to _____ the requirements set by the safety committee.
We all _____ an interesting discussion about the company's future direction.
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