Collocations With "WAY" in English

WAY collocations

way noun

¹ method/style

ADJ.

convenient, easy, effective, efficient, good, ideal, practical, quick, useful

The best way to open it is with pliers.

| appropriate, proper, right | wrong | normal | traditional | obvious | important

The most important way to stop accidental drownings is by education.

| subtle

There is no subtle way to tell someone that you no longer want them.

| possible

They've explored every possible way of dealing with the problem.

| alternative, different | similar | new | old | funny, mysterious, odd, strange

God works in mysterious ways.

| hard

He learned about the dangers of drugs the hard way.

| friendly | winning

The team got back to their winning ways with a 2?1 victory.

QUANT.

number

There are a number of ways to overcome this problem.

VERB + WAY

have

Fate has a way of changing the best of plans.

| get into, get out of

The women had got into the way of going up on the deck every evening.

| explore, look at

to look at ways of improving language teaching

| develop, devise, find | change, mend

Your father is unlikely to change his ways now.

| be set in

Grandma is so set in her ways.

PREP.

in a/the ~

Can I help you in any way?

PHRASES

in a big way

He then started spending money in a big way.

| in every way

They're different in every way.

| in more ways than one

They're alike in more ways than one.

| in its/your own way

He was attractive in his own way.

| a kind/sort of way

He was a handsome man in a sinister sort of way.

| (in) one way or another

Most people are creative in one way or another.

| a way of life

the beliefs and practices of the Hindu way of life

| ways and means

Newspapers have ways and means of getting hold of secret information.

² route/road

ADJ.

best, quickest, right, shortest | wrong | own, separate

(figurative) He's always gone his own way when it comes to design.

| covered

We walked along the covered way to the science building.

VERB + WAY

go

I'm going your way, so we can walk together.

(figurative) When we finished school, we all went our separate ways.

| go out of

(figurative) She went out of her way to help them. | keep/stay out of (figurative) Let's keep out of her way while she's in such a bad mood.

| bar, block, get in, stand in

A fallen tree blocked the way.

(figurative) He wanted to go to university and would let nothing stand in his way. | clear, pave, prepare, smooth (all figurative) The withdrawal of troops should clear the way for a peace settlement.

| give, make

(= allow sb/sth to go first or take your place) Give way to traffic already on the roundabout. Make way for the Lord Mayor! Tropical forest is felled to make way for grassland.

(figurative) The storm gave way to bright sunshine.

| edge, feel, inch, make, push, thread, weave, wend, wind, work

He edged his way along the wall. The river wound its way through the valley.

| cut, elbow, fight, force, hack, pick, shoulder

We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks.

(figurative) She fought her way up to the top of the company.

| bluff, talk, trick

(figurative) She bluffed her way through the exam.

| lose

She lost her way in the fog.

(figurative) This project seems to have lost its way.

| find

He couldn't find a way through the bracken.

(figurative) We will eventually find a way out of the crisis.

| ask (sb)

She asked him the way to the station.

| tell sb | know

Do you know the way? | come (figurative) Have any interesting articles come your way recently?

PREP.

along the ~

We saw a dreadful accident along the way.

| in the/your ~

There were several rocks in the way.

| out of the/your ~

Could you please get those boxes out of my way?

| on the/your ~

We stopped for a snack on the way here.

| out of the/your ~

The supermarket is a bit out of my way.

| ~ across

The way across the fields is longer but pleasanter.

| ~ from, ~ out of

Can you tell me the way out of here?

| ~ through

The way through the woods is quicker.

| ~ to

the easiest way from my house to yours

PHRASES

take the easy way out

He took the easy way out and paid someone to write the article for him.

| the way back/down/forward/here/home/in/out/over/there/up

We stopped for a drink on the way home.

³ direction/position

ADJ.

both

Look both ways before crossing the road.

| right | wrong

They've gone the wrong way.

VERB + WAY

go

Which way did she go?

| lead, point, show

He showed us the way.

| walk

Walk this way, please.

| look

He looked my way, but didn't seem to recognize me.

PHRASES

the … way round/up

Try it the other way round. Which way up does this box go?

⁴ distance in space/time

ADJ.

long | little, short

VERB + WAY

come, go

We had to go a long way before we found a telephone box. (figurative) The study of genes has come a long way in recent years.

PREP.

~ from, ~ to

It's quite a way from my house to the shops.

PHRASES

all the way

This bus doesn't go all the way so you'll have to change.

| quite a/some way, a … way ahead/away/off

Your birthday is still some way off.

What is a collocation?

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations (for example collocations with “WAY”) just sound “right” to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations of “WAY” may be unnatural and just sound “wrong”.

Using collocations list of “WAY” improves your English, especially your English speaking skills, and increases your vocabulary words in English.

Why learn collocations with “WAY”?

• When using collocations with “WAY”, Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
• You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
• It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks such as Common Collocations with “WAY” rather than as single words ( WAY | Translation, Meaning in Persian (Farsi) )

How to learn collocations with “WAY”?

• Be aware of collocations with WAY , and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
• Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
• When you learn a new word ( e.g. WAY | Translation, Meaning in Persian (Farsi) ), write down other words that collocate with it.
• Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations of “WAY” in context and naturally.
• Revise what you learn regularly. Practice using new collocations with “WAY” in context as soon as possible after learning them.
• Learn collocations with “WAY” in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).

Types of collocation with “WAY”

• adverb + adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• noun + noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• verb + adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

Using Collocations of WAY to Boost Your IELTS Score

The correct use of collocations of “WAY” is an essential part of improving your English level and boosting your IELTS score. Using collocations + “WAY” in sentence examples correctly allows you to write and speak more like a native speaker and they are also one of the things that examiners look out for when marking your tests.

WAY Collocation Frequently Asked Questions

Why are WAY collocations important? WAY collocations are important because they make your language sound natural. If you master WAY collocations, your English will be more idiomatic, that is, more similar to the way it is spoken by native speakers. It is acknowledged that knowledge of WAY collocations helps to improve learners' language skills, enhance learners' communicative competence, and achieve native-like fluency.