Collocation

Expression	Definition	Examples
a vast/tremendous reservoir of something	a large amount of something that is available to be used	There is a vast reservoir of information available on the Internet.
contract muscles	to become less or smaller	The exercise consists of stretching and contracting the leg muscles. These signals drive muscles to contract rhythmically in a way that produces running or walking, depending on the pattern of pulses.
contract a virus/measles/malaria	to get an illness	Condoms can help to minimize the risk of contracting HIV.
be/become an object of ridicule	to be made fun of	She feared becoming an object of ridicule in tabloid newspapers.
hold sb up to ridicule	to make fun of sb publicly	The president was becoming an object of ridicule.
funds parking	the transfer of money into one’s bank account just before applying for a visa	When immigration officers notice unexplained cash deposits in a bank account statement, they may assume that they constitute an attempt at funds parking and refuse the visa application.
arrest a disease/reaction	to stop a process or development	The spread of the disease can be arrested with social distancing.
coffee culture	the social aspects of drinking coffee with friends or co-workers	I soon embraced the coffee culture when living in Australian.
an email backlog / a backlog of emails	a list of emails waiting to be answered	When dealing with an extensive email backlog, the first step is to schedule a time to address it.
pay tribute to sb/sth	to praise sb/sth	He paid tribute to the firefighters who had saved his daughter’s life.
a poverty-stricken family/country/immigrant	to be extremely poor	The organisation works in many war-torn and poverty-stricken countries.
grinding poverty	a poverty-stricken situation that is grinding (= never ends or gets better)	He left the village to escape the grinding poverty.
grind to a halt / come to a grinding halt	to go slower gradually until a complete stop	Her career ground to a halt when the twins were born.
bring sth to a grinding halt	to make sth go slower gradually until it stops completely	Looking after the twins brought her career to a grinding halt.
on balance	after considering all the information	On balance, the company has had a successful year.
poverty trap	a situation in which a poor person without a job cannot afford to take a low-paying job because they would lose the money they receive from the government	The poorest families remained caught in the poverty trap.
a multitude of	a very large number of	The city has a multitude of problems, from homelessness to drugs and murder.
the multitude(s)	the great majority / a large crowd of people in a particular country or situation	The hideous truth was hidden from the multitude.
burst/break into song/tears/laughter/flames	to burst out (= suddenly start) singing/crying/laughing/flaming	He burst into hysterical (= uncontrolled) laughter when I told her the joke.
a pang of hunger/a hunger pang	a sudden craving (= strong desire) for sustenance (= food)	Caught in the rain, he felt a pang of hunger as he passed by the bakery.
a compound/simple fracture	a broken bone that comes/does not come through the skin	He jumped off the lift and suffered a compound fracture in both legs.
reach/be in substantial agreement	to reach a unanimous agreement	The committee was in substantial agreement.
an act of faith	doing something that shows you have hope for a positive outcome	Starting a new business with no prior experience but a lot of passion could be considered an act of faith.
explore in greater depth sth	to examine/investigate sth more thoroughly	It is advisable to see the essay as an opportunity to explore in greater depth aspects of the course.