Finding phrases

A non-native writer may write a sentence that is grammatically accurate but which does not sound right to a native English reader due to the mistaken use of an incorrect collocation. Inappropriate word pairs (for example, the over generalisation of common high-frequency verbs like have, do, make, take and give) may lead to miscomprehension as collocation errors are difficult to read and it takes additional processing time to understand their intended meaning, especially as technical content is often difficult for lay readers.

The following are some examples of “Incorrect verb usage”:

Wrong Right Toolkit Solution
... make research into the causes of ... ... do research into the causes of ... Search for V + research in the toolkit.
a polynomial can be solved
an equation can be evaluated
a polynomial has roots
an equation can be solved
An equation (x + y = 10) can be solved. In contrast, a polynomial
(like x3 − 7x + 4, without any right-hand sign) cannot be solved (there is no equation to solve) but it may have roots.
examine a problem study a problem The wrong term can be included as a forbidden entry in case you add this as a Private Entry.