LLLEXILINK / LESSON 04

Building Strong and Lasting Relationships

Trust, communication and meaningful connections

B2 · Upper-intermediate 80-minute lesson 20 target collocations

SkELL investigation Lexical approach

Four friends having coffee and sharing a conversation in a café
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Student profile

LexiLink · Building Strong Relationships B2 80 minutes

Complete the tasks, investigate lexical word partnerships in SkELL and write about the habits that help relationships grow stronger.

80-minute lesson route

Teacher-facing timing plan; the tasks below follow this sequence.

0–5 min · Warm-upDiscuss what helps people build and maintain strong relationships.
5–17 min · ReadingRead the text and complete comprehension tasks.
17–27 min · NoticingMatch and complete target collocations.
27–42 min · DDL with SkELLInvestigate four keywords and discover natural lexical collocations.
42–52 min · RetrievalOdd One Out and Find the Collocate.
52–62 min · CategorisingCollocation Sorting and Lexical Cloze.
62–70 min · CorrectionRepair unnatural lexical combinations.
70–77 min · ProductionWrite at least 100 words about maintaining a strong relationship.
77–80 min · ReflectionReview your score and share one SkELL discovery.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to recognise and use lexical collocations related to friendship, trust and communication; verify word partnerships with SkELL; interpret related words in context; and describe practical ways to maintain healthy relationships.

Target collocations: definitions and synonyms

Study the English definitions and compare the synonyms. No translations are provided.

Reading: Building Strong and Lasting Relationships

Read the text carefully or listen to it. Target collocations are shown in bold.

Listen to the reading
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Relationships: Trust, Communication and Care

Strong relationships rarely develop by accident. People may form a close bond when they share common interests, spend quality time together and make an effort to stay connected. Even when life becomes busy, friends can keep in touch through a short message, a regular call or a shared activity. These small actions can strengthen a relationship over time and help each person feel valued.

Trust grows when people act consistently. To build trust, it is important to keep a promise, tell the truth and show respect even when opinions differ. People can also express appreciation by noticing another person’s efforts and saying thank you. When someone faces a difficult period, friends can offer support and, when needed, provide emotional support by listening without rushing to judge or solve every problem.

Disagreements are a normal part of relationships. Instead of planning a reply while the other person is speaking, try to listen actively and ask questions to understand the situation. It helps to express concerns clearly without blaming the other person. People may then resolve a conflict by identifying the issue and discussing possible solutions. Sometimes they need to accept different preferences and reach a compromise that feels fair to both sides. Healthy relationships also require people to establish boundaries and communicate what they can or cannot accept.

When trust is damaged, repairing a relationship can take time. A useful first step is to take responsibility for one’s own actions and admit a mistake without making excuses. The other person may need time to feel safe again, so patience matters. Both people can discuss what should change and agree on actions that show the problem is being taken seriously. Regaining trust can take time. Strong relationships are not perfect; they grow through honest communication, reliable behaviour and a willingness to learn from difficult moments.

Reading Task A — Choose the best answer

Reading Task B — True or False?

Choose True or False according to the text.

Reading Task D — Match the idea to the paragraph

Choose the paragraph number (1–4). Some paragraph numbers may be used more than once.

1. Matching · 10 points

Choose the correct ending.

2. Complete the Sentence · 10 points

Choose the lexical collocation that best completes each sentence.

3. SkELL Collocation Clusters · 10 minutes · 10 points (teacher-scored)

Open SkELL. For each keyword, use Word Sketch or example sentences to find at least two lexical collocations. Write one original sentence using each of your first two collocations. Then open Similar words, record two candidate synonyms or related words, and note a corpus example or context you checked. Related words are not automatically interchangeable: check their meaning and word partnerships in context. Your collocations, original sentences, Similar words and corpus notes will be submitted with this lesson for teacher review.

Investigation routine
Keyword → find lexical collocations in SkELL → record similar words → inspect a corpus example → decide whether each related word can replace the keyword in that context.
RELATIONSHIPSSearch focus: verb + noun lexical collocations
Find verbs that naturally combine with relationships, especially actions that maintain or strengthen them.
TRUSTSearch focus: verb + noun lexical collocations
Find verbs used for developing, earning, keeping or damaging trust.
COMMUNICATIONSearch focus: adjective + noun lexical collocations
Find adjectives that describe the quality or style of communication.
CONFLICTSearch focus: verb + noun lexical collocations
Find verbs that describe preventing, managing or resolving a conflict.

Teacher scoring: up to 10 points for distinct, accurate lexical collocations supported by SkELL evidence. Similar words are assessed for relevance and contextual interpretation; related words are not automatically interchangeable.

Your SkELL records and original sentences will be submitted with the lesson; no separate copying is needed.

4. Odd One Out · Based on SkELL · 10 points

Choose the collocation that does not fit the pattern of the other three. Use your SkELL notes to check which combinations are natural in English. After checking, read the explanation.

5. Find the Verb, Find the Collocate · 10 points

Choose the verb that completes each relationship-related collocation.

6. Collocation Sorting · 10 points

Choose the verb that creates a natural lexical collocation.

7. Lexical Cloze · 10 points

Word bank: keep in touch · spend quality time · build trust · express appreciation · provide emotional support · listen actively · express concerns · reach a compromise · establish boundaries · repair a relationship

8. Collocation Repair · 10 points

Choose the best correction. Focus on natural lexical word partnerships in relationships and communication.

9. Productive Recall Challenge · 5 points (teacher-scored)

Write at least 100 words on Building Strong and Lasting Relationships. Use at least eight target collocations from this lesson.

Write directly in this field. Paste, cut/copy shortcuts and drag-and-drop are disabled here. This browser restriction supports independent writing but is not a complete plagiarism-detection system.

0 words — 100-word minimum to submit; no maximum

Teacher awards up to 5 points for accurate use of distinct target collocations, a clear main idea and relevant examples.

Submit your lesson work to the teacher

Your profile, exercise responses, SkELL collocations and original sentences, related words, corpus notes, writing paragraph and available scores will be collected in the teacher’s spreadsheet. Complete all four clusters and a paragraph of at least 100 words before submitting.

Lesson score

Auto-scored sections: reading MCQ, True/False, paragraph matching, Matching, Sentence Completion, Odd One Out, Find the Collocate, Sorting, Lexical Cloze and Collocation Repair (100 points total). SkELL cluster (10) and productive writing (5) are teacher-scored. Maximum lesson total: 115 points.

LexiLink · Connect words. Build fluency. Your SkELL collocations, original sentences, Similar words, corpus notes and writing paragraph are included in the lesson submission. Complete the required fields and submit your work to the teacher.