Common word pairs (e.g. horse and carriage)

Binomials, trinomials and collocations

Some word pairs are used so frequently together that they sound odd when reversed. They are called binomials and trinomials. On a plane trip, I was offered ‘cheese and biscuits’ and it jarred. I would’ve said ‘biscuits and cheese’.

I discovered that such pairs are called ‘binomials’ and when they sound odd reversed, they are ‘irreversible binomials’. They are often, but not always, joined by ‘and’.

Three words used together are ‘trinomials’.

Binomials and trinomials

Here are some binomials that most native English-speaking people wouldn’t reverse:

• bread and butter
• fish and chips
• girls and boys (Maybe this is from the nursery rhyme: ‘Girls and boys come out to play, The moon is shining bright as day…’)
• horse and carriage
• love and marriage
• shoes and socks
• strawberries and cream
• tit for tat
• whiskey and soda

And here’s a few trinomials:

• cool, calm and collected
• lock, stock and barrel
• sex, drugs and rock’n’roll
• tall, dark and handsome

Read more binomials and trinomials.

Collocations

But have you heard of collocations? A collocation is the habitual co-occurrence of certain words.

For example:

• break a habit
• catch a cold
• do the housework
• get the message
• make a call
• save time

Learn more

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