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Lesson guide & glossary

Politics & Governance — C1 Collocations

This lesson practises 49 C2 collocations on Politics & Governance. Collocations are fixed word pairings that native speakers expect — Cambridge examiners test them in Use of English Part 1 and reward precise lexis in Writing. Run through the interactive drills first, then open this glossary to revise every item in the set. For question-by-question feedback, use Review mode after you finish the session.

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Lesson glossary (49 collocations)

  • give a full apology

    The politician was forced to ____ for the mistake.

  • decline to comment

    The minister chose to ____ on the allegations.

  • introduce new legislation

    The minister will ____ to protect consumers.

  • clarify a position

    The minister tried to ____ on the new policy.

  • field questions

    The minister agreed to ____ from journalists.

  • take industrial action

    The union voted to ____ if talks failed.

  • declare outright hostility

    The minister chose to ____ towards the proposal.

  • ceasefire comes into effect

    The ____ at midnight.

  • introduce new legislation

    The minister will ____ to protect consumers.

  • take exception to

    Several members began to ____ the new policy.

  • slim majority

    The government won by a ____.

  • go on strike

    The union voted to ____ if talks failed.

  • call for a ceasefire

    Both sides agreed to ____.

  • mislead the electorate

    The politician was accused of trying to ____.

  • take the view that

    Most experts ____ the policy is a failure.

  • regime topples

    The old ____ after the revolution.

  • basic principle

    Freedom of speech is a ____ in democracy.

  • unveil a plan

    The minister will ____ next week.

  • rising unemployment

    The government is concerned about ____.

  • stage a strike

    The union voted to ____.

  • hold a press conference

    The minister will ____ tomorrow.

  • stage a protest

    The students decided to ____ outside the building.

  • take the view that

    Most experts ____ the policy is a failure.

  • fundamental change

    The reform led to a ____ in policy.

  • secure a majority

    The party managed to ____ in the election.

  • protest innocence

    The suspect continued to ____.

  • flying visit

    The minister made a brief ____ to the region.

  • call an election

    The prime minister decided to ____ early.

  • sudden shift

    There was a ____ in policy last week.

  • bombard someone with questions

    The journalists began to ____ the minister.

  • public spending

    The government plans to cut ____.

  • riot erupts

    A full-scale ____ after the announcement.

  • impose censorship

    The government threatened to ____ on the press.

  • state verb

    The minister will ____ the new policy tomorrow.

  • hold someone/something in contempt

    Many people openly ____ the corrupt politician.

  • clarify a position

    The minister tried to ____ on the new policy.

  • long-term solution

    The government is looking for a ____.

  • score an own goal

    The politician seemed to ____ with that comment.

  • flying visit

    The minister made a brief ____ to the region.

  • barrage of questions

    The minister faced a ____ from journalists.

  • take action

    The government decided to ____ immediately.

  • radical change

    The election brought about ____ in government.

  • desperate measure

    The government resorted to a ____.

  • abandon a policy

    Due to widespread public opposition, the government felt compelled to ____.

  • withdraw troops

    The government decided to ____ from the area.

  • long-term solution

    The government is looking for a ____.

  • cut back on

    The government decided to ____ public spending.

  • empty promise

    The politician was accused of making yet another ____.

  • face a grilling

    The minister had to ____ from the committee.