Collocation

I re-read the collocations lesson that was taught by Steve in the class today (Thank you for Steve's blog)

Globalisation [NOUN]/ is…(our definitions)

-the process of people and countries connecting to each other with ease (+)

-goods, services, culture disseminated around the world creating homogeneity (+-)

-a process of harmonisation (+)-a sociological process that tends to homogenise cultural identities (-)

Globalisation "Pros & cons"

+Easier to regulate the circulation of goods and people

- Lose cultural identity

+Everybody has access to the same information (“we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet”)

-Increase/widen the gap between rich and poor

+Increase the variety of everything (products, services)Reduces individual freedom

+ Increase in GDP which is then ‘shared’ among local people

+Gives power to unelected groups/bodies (businesses)

+ Developing expertise

- Abuse by multinationals of environment/developing countries’ workforce, resources

+Promotes the philosophy of Free Trade

-Debt

- Price fixing, monopolisation

- Puts an excessive focus/premium on industrial development

Other collocations that would be useful if you were to write/speak about globalisation:

- international trade,

- the global economy,

- world economic growth,

- world economy,

- world business,

- a rapid increase in,

- a substantial increase in,

- the vast majority of,

- a slight improvement in,

- a huge improvement,

- a gradual improvement,

- a direct benefit of,

- manufactured goods,

- an inflated price,

- a serious flaw,

- a global company,

- (to run) a retail network,

- (to be) socially and environmentally responsible,

- global warming

Steve's sentences:

-A direct benefit of having computers in the classroom is that one has instant access to the internet

-A huge improvement of the Thai economy occurs when it exports Jasmine rice to another country.

Siri's sentences :

- The vast majority of venture capitalists have directly benefited from a rapid increase in the world economic growth.

- The energy companies organised conference to discuss global warming and environmentally responsible issues in August.

HOMEWORK: Please go to the bbc website and read all the business case studies. Choose one and do a gapmaker collocation exercise on it. Make a list of all the collocations you’ve discovered and then write some sentences about your own subject using any of the new collocations.