Take a photo, have breakfast: verb and noun pairs

The rule

Some verbs and nouns always go together, and you can't guess them from Arabic or French: take a photo, have breakfast / a shower, pay attention, catch a cold, make friends. Learn each pair as one chunk.

Learners translate word for word: French prendre le petit-déjeuner gives take breakfast, and faire attention gives make attention. The English verb is often a surprise, so translation doesn't help here.

Examples

In a conversation

A: How was your first week at university?

B: Great! I made friends with two girls from my class.

A: Did you take any photos?

B: Yes, lots. We had lunch by the river every day.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

1. Please ___ attention. This part is important.
   • a) make
   • b) pay
   • c) do
2. It's easy to ___ friends at university.
   • a) make
   • b) do
   • c) take
3. Wear a coat or you'll ___ a cold.
   • a) take
   • b) make
   • c) catch

Tip

Have a shower is the usual British form, but take a shower is also correct, especially in American English. Meals always take have: We had lunch at 1.

Answers

1. b) pay. We say pay attention.
2. a) make. We say make friends.
3. c) catch. We say catch a cold.

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