[Mastering English Collocations: Essential Expressions for Decision-Making]-[10 English Collocations You Need When Making Decisions [573]]

Speak Better English with Harry · B1 · 2026-02-04

📋 Summary

Mastering English Collocations: Essential Expressions for Decision-Making

In this lesson, Harry explores ten advanced English collocations specifically related to the process of decision-making. These expressions are vital for effectively communicating how we generate, evaluate, and refine ideas in professional and personal contexts.

1. Generating Ideas

To hit upon an idea: This refers to the moment a thought suddenly occurs to you, often when you are relaxed, such as while "having a shower," "reading a book in bed," or "working out in the gym." It is the colloquial equivalent of having a breakthrough.
Something springs to mind: Similar to hitting upon an idea, this describes a "light bulb moment" where a solution or realization suddenly appears in your thoughts. You might ask, "Does anything spring to mind?" to encourage colleagues to share their insights.

2. Managing and Refining Concepts

To bear something in mind: This is a crucial phrase for maintaining focus. It means to keep a specific detail or constraint in your thoughts while working through a problem. For instance, when creating marketing content, you must "bear in mind who our target market" is.
To toy with an idea: This implies playing around with a concept before it is fully finalized. It involves spending time thinking, "will this work?" to shape the idea before presenting it to others for their "observations" or "input."
To entertain an idea: This is used to decide whether to consider or approve a suggestion. It is often used in the negative: "I refuse to entertain such an idea," meaning the proposal is dismissed and will not be considered further.

3. The Struggle of Problem-Solving

To rack your brains: When you are struggling to find a solution, you "rack your brains," which essentially means to exhaust your mental effort. Harry notes that this is often the point where you must "admit defeat" and ask colleagues for help.
To grapple with a problem: This denotes a prolonged struggle to find a solution. Whether it is "grappling with the problem about logistics" or "budgets," it highlights the difficulty of moving from a problem to a viable solution.

4. Research and Consultation

To seek advice: When you need guidance, you seek advice. Harry emphasizes a critical grammatical rule: "advice" is an uncountable noun. It is never "advices." Instead, use "a piece of advice" or "some advice."
To carry out research: Before finalizing a decision, it is necessary to "carry out market research." This involves looking at what the "opposition are presenting" and identifying gaps in the market to ensure the product placement is correct.

5. Re-evaluating Decisions

To have second thoughts: This occurs when you reconsider a previous agreement. If an idea seems "unwieldy" or "too complicated" upon further reflection, you might have second thoughts. This acts as a safeguard to ensure your final strategy is simple and effective.

By mastering these ten collocations—ranging from the initial spark of an idea to the rigorous process of research and final evaluation—English learners can navigate complex decision-making discussions with greater precision and professional fluency.

🎯Key Sentences

I hit upon an idea in some of the strangest places

this is when the ideas spring to mind

We've never thought about that before.

to bear something in mind.

I really think this is the way forward.

Expand All

📝Key Phrases

hit upon an idea

bear something in mind

toy with an idea

rack your brains

entertain an idea

Expand All

📖 Transcript

Hi there, this is Harry.

Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language.

And in today's lesson, we're looking specifically at collocations.

And these collocations are about decisions.

So collocations are expressions that you use when talking about or wanting to talk about, or wanting to make some sort of decision.

Let's start.

Or study on the web version →