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Lesson planC155 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Pose a Threat, Reach a Consensus: Collocations for public debate
Students learn strong collocations for public debate, like pose a threat, then write a letter giving their view on a local plan.
Collocations · Public debate · Environment
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Learn and use 8 words and phrases in one set: Collocations for public debate
- Read for detail: the turbines at Fenwick Bay
- Writing task: a letter to the editor
Stages · 55 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about environment and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4–5
- 10 minReading: Ex. 6
- 15 minWriting: Ex. 7
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 4 PDFs)Grammar notes
What is a collocation?
- A collocation is a pair or group of words that naturally go together: we reach a consensus (not arrive a consensus) and raise concerns (not rise concerns).
- Using the right partner word makes your English sound natural and precise, especially in formal writing and discussion.
Common patterns
- verb + noun: pose a threat, raise concerns, reach a consensus, play a pivotal role
- adjective + noun: a heated debate, widespread support
- adverb + adjective: bitterly disappointed (also deeply disappointed)
- verb + noun + preposition: take something into account / take account of something
Watch the grammar around the collocation
- pose a threat to someone or something: The storms pose a threat to the coast.
- raise concerns about / over something; play a role in something / in doing something.
Study tips
- When you meet a new noun, note the verbs and adjectives it goes with, not just its meaning: a consensus → reach, build, achieve; broad, general.
- Read a news article about a local issue and underline every verb + noun pair. How many could you use in your own writing?
Glossary
- Collocations for public debate8 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Collocations and their meanings
Match each collocation with its meaning. There is one meaning you do not need.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
Complete the collocations
Complete each sentence with a word from the box. There is one word you do not need.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
Rising sea levels a serious threat to the old harbour wall.
- b
After six hours of talks, the committee finally a consensus.
- c
Many residents were disappointed when the vote was postponed again.
- d
The meeting turned into a debate, with people shouting across the hall.
- e
The scheme has support: polls show that most people in the region are in favour.
- f
Local fishing crews have concerns about the effect of the work on fish stocks.
- g
Local schoolchildren played a role in the campaign by collecting thousands of signatures.
- h
The council must take the views of the fishing community into .
3
raise, reach or take?
Which verb goes with each word or phrase? Put each one in the right group.
- a
awareness
- b
concerns
- c
a consensus
- d
a stand
- e
a compromise
- f
responsibility
- g
a conclusion
- h
something into account
- i
the alarm
4
Say it another way
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the word given and between three and six words.
- a
Everyone at the meeting finally agreed on a plan.
CONSENSUS
The meeting finally on a plan.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- b
The new turbines could be dangerous for seabirds.
THREAT
The new turbines could seabirds.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- c
The council should consider the cost of the project.
ACCOUNT
The council should the cost of the project.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- d
Many people were extremely disappointed by the decision.
BITTERLY
Many people by the decision.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- e
Local fishing crews have said that they are worried about the effect on fish stocks.
CONCERNS
Local fishing crews have the effect on fish stocks.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- f
The volunteers were central to the success of the campaign.
ROLE
The volunteers the success of the campaign.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
5
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one wrong word or phrase in a collocation. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
The meeting turned into a hot debate that lasted until midnight.
- b
Several residents have risen concerns about the noise from the building site.
- c
It took the committee three months to arrive a consensus.
- d
Winter storms make a serious threat to the coastal path.
- e
She was bitter disappointed when the plan was rejected.
- f
Planners must take in account the views of local people.
6
Read: the turbines at Fenwick Bay
Read the text. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
When the energy company Tidewell first announced plans for forty turbines off the coast of Fenwick Bay, few people expected the proposal to cause much of a stir. Within a month, however, it had become the subject of the most heated debate the town had seen in a generation. Supporters argued that the scheme would play a pivotal role in cutting the region's carbon emissions and would bring around two hundred jobs to an area that had struggled since the shipyard closed. A survey commissioned by the town council suggested that the project enjoyed widespread support, particularly among younger residents. Opponents, though, were far from convinced. The local fishing association raised concerns about the impact of construction on fish stocks, while a group of bird enthusiasts claimed that the turbines would pose a threat to the puffins that nest on the cliffs every spring. Others simply objected to the view: for them, the open horizon was part of what made Fenwick Bay worth living in. Over the following winter, the council held a series of public meetings. Tempers frequently flared, and on one occasion the chair had to suspend proceedings when two speakers began shouting at each other. Gradually, though, a compromise began to take shape. Tidewell agreed to move the turbines further out to sea, to fund an independent study of the seabird colony and to take the fishing crews' working patterns into account when planning the construction work. The council finally reached a consensus in March. Not everyone was satisfied: the bird group said it was bitterly disappointed that the study would not be completed before building began. Most residents, however, seemed relieved that the argument was over.
- a
The proposal caused strong disagreement from the very first day.
- b
Supporters believed the scheme would bring new jobs to the area.
- c
According to the survey, older residents were more in favour of the scheme than younger ones.
- d
The fishing association's main worry was the view from the town.
- e
One public meeting had to be stopped because of an argument between speakers.
- f
The council agreed to pay for the study of the seabirds.
- g
The shipyard closed because of competition from abroad.
- h
The bird group was happy with the final agreement.
- i
Construction of the turbines started in March.
7
Write: a letter to the editor
Write a formal letter.
A plan to build something controversial in your area (a wind farm, a new road, a large supermarket or a festival site) has divided local opinion. Write a letter to your local newspaper (220–260 words). Explain the plan, describe both sides of the debate and give your own view, with reasons. Use at least five collocations from the box. Word box: pose a threat · reach a consensus · bitterly disappointed · heated debate · widespread support · raise concerns · play a pivotal role · take into account Example: The proposal has provoked a heated debate in our town, and while it clearly enjoys widespread support among younger residents, many older people have raised concerns about traffic.
Suggested minimum: 220 words
0 words · aim for at least 220
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 8 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in one set.
Collocations for public debate
- pose a threat
- to be a possible danger to someone or something
- raise concerns
- to make people aware that you are worried about something
- reach a consensus
- to arrive at an agreement that everyone in a group accepts
- play a pivotal role
- to be centrally important in making something happen
- take into account
- to consider something when you make a decision or judgement
- heated debate
- an angry or very emotional discussion
- widespread support
- approval from many people in many different places or groups
- bitterly disappointed
- extremely unhappy because something did not happen as you hoped
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