Collocations
Family & Relationships
Band 5-6The full list of 20 words in this set. Open any word for its pronunciation, collocations, a band 8 sentence and the mistakes Vietnamese learners make.
Learn this set with flashcards20 words
- 1
give someone spacecollocation/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn speɪs/
to allow someone time alone and not pressure or crowd them
“After the argument, I decided to give her some space.”
- 2
marital statuscollocation/ˈmærɪtəl steɪtəs/
A person's legal relationship status (single, married, divorced, widowed).
“On the form you must state your marital status.”
- 3
parental guidancenoun phrase/pəˈrɛntl ˈɡaɪdəns/
advice, supervision or direction given by parents to their children
“Many schools encourage parental guidance on children's online activities.”
- 4
file for divorceverb phrase/faɪl fɔːr dɪˈvɔːs/
to submit a legal request to end a marriage
“After years of trying to save their marriage, she decided to file for divorce.”
- 5
close family tiescollocation/kləʊs ˈfæməli taɪz/
strong relationships between family members
“People with close family ties often rely on relatives in times of need.”
- 6
blended familynoun phrase/ˈblendɪd ˈfæməli/
a family where one or both partners have children from previous relationships and these children live together as a single family unit
“Many people talk about how blended families can be challenging at first.”
- 7
life partnernoun phrase/ˈlaɪf ˈpɑːtnə(r)/
a person with whom one has a long-term romantic relationship, often implying commitment
“She described him as her life partner rather than just a boyfriend.”
- 8
share household chorescollocation/ʃeə ˈhaʊshəʊld tʃɔːz/
to divide domestic tasks among members of a household
“In modern families, couples often share household chores equally.”
- 9
trust issuescollocation/trʌst ˈɪʃuːz/
problems someone has in trusting other people, often because of past experiences
“His trust issues make it hard for him to form close relationships.”
- 10
sibling rivalrycollocation/ˈsɪblɪŋ ˈraɪvəlri/
Competition, jealousy or fighting between brothers and sisters.
“Some degree of sibling rivalry is normal in large families.”
- 11
make amendscollocation/meɪk əˈmendz/
to do something to correct or compensate for a wrongdoing
“He tried to make amends by returning the money he had taken.”
- 12
family tiescollocation/ˈfæməli taɪz/
the relationships and obligations that connect family members
“Strong family ties often influence decisions about where to live.”
- 13
patch things upcollocation/pætʃ θɪŋz ʌp/
to repair a relationship after an argument or disagreement
“They argued yesterday but patched things up this morning.”
- 14
trial separationnoun phrase/ˈtraɪəl ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən/
a temporary period of living apart to see whether a marriage can be repaired
“They agreed on a trial separation to give themselves space.”
- 15
marriage ceremonynoun phrase/ˈmærɪdʒ ˈsɛrəməni/
the formal event or ritual at which a marriage is performed
“They invited close friends and family to the marriage ceremony.”
- 16
sole custodynoun phrase/səʊl ˈkʌstədi/
the legal right for one parent alone to have custody of a child
“After the divorce, the mother was granted sole custody of the children.”
- 17
parent-teacher meetingnoun phrase/ˈpeərənt ˈtiːtʃə ˈmiːtɪŋ/
a meeting between parents and teachers to discuss a student's progress or issues
“We attended the parent-teacher meeting to discuss our son's grades.”
- 18
spousal supportnoun phrase/ˈspaʊzəl səˈpɔːt/
financial payments one spouse may be required to pay to the other after separation or divorce
“He was ordered to pay spousal support for five years.”
- 19
marriage counselingnoun phrase/ˈmærɪdʒ ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ/
professional therapy or advice to help couples resolve marital problems
“They sought marriage counseling to improve communication.”
- 20
legal guardianshipnoun phrase/ˈliːɡəl ˈɡɑːdənʃɪp/
the legal authority given to someone to care for another person, typically a child
“The aunt applied for legal guardianship after the parents died.”