When words form partnerships

On 27 May, Jupiter and Neptune will form a planetary partnership, called a conjunction. To you and me, two little points of light will approach each other in the sky. But astrologists see such things differently. They are excited about Neptune, the ancient sea god, meeting Jupiter, the king of the gods and the bringer of good fortune. The two planets will meet first in the house of Aquarius, the great freethinker and guide in the "Age of Aquarius".

Neptune and Jupiter will then continue to meet again and again until the end of the year. Astrologists believe it will inspire new visions down here on earth. They also fear we will experience more financial and social instability as a result.

It's a good story, isn't it? Cultural associations between the planets and the gods have to do with the way our minds work, creating stories and connections from what is around us.

Words, too, form typical partnerships, called collocations. In English, many of the collocations are quite difficult to explain because they are so old that the connections are known only to linguists. The best thing to do is to practise them until you recognize them. And that is what we will do this week. Let's review ten of the most useful glossed words in Spotlight and explore their typical collocations.