CELPIP Vocabulary for Relationships and Family
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
Relationships & Family collocations for CELPIP
Family and friends are among the easiest CELPIP topics to talk about, which is why the prompts expect precise language. Writing Task 1 may ask you to email a relative to invite them to a celebration, or a friend you have lost touch with. Writing Task 2 surveys may ask whether an employer should offer flexible hours for parents or a family day event. In Speaking, Task 2, Talking about a Personal Experience, may ask about a time someone in your family helped you; Task 1, Giving Advice, may involve a friend who has argued with a sibling; and Task 6, Dealing with a Difficult Situation, may involve a disagreement with a roommate. These collocations help you describe closeness, conflict and support naturally.
Verb + noun collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| build a relationship | develop a connection with someone over time | It takes time to build a relationship based on trust. |
| maintain close ties | keep a strong connection despite distance | Even after moving to Calgary, she maintains close ties with her cousins. |
| raise a family | bring up children | They decided to raise a family in a smaller town. |
| start a family | begin having children | My sister and her husband are ready to start a family. |
| spend quality time | give someone your full attention for a while | We try to spend quality time together every Sunday. |
| resolve a conflict | settle a disagreement | It's important to resolve a conflict before it damages a friendship. |
| offer support | provide help or encouragement | My parents always offer support, even when they disagree with my choices. |
| share responsibilities | divide duties between people | My partner and I share responsibilities at home, from cooking to school drop-offs. |
| keep in touch | stay in regular contact with someone | We still keep in touch even though we live in different provinces. |
| strengthen a bond | make a relationship deeper or stronger | Travelling together really strengthened the bond between us. |
| express gratitude | show that you are thankful | At the party, my uncle expressed his gratitude to everyone who had helped him. |
| celebrate a milestone | mark an important event or achievement | We celebrated a big milestone last month: my grandparents' fiftieth anniversary. |
Adjective + noun collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| a close-knit family | a family that is emotionally close and supportive | Growing up in a close-knit family taught me the value of loyalty. |
| unconditional love | love given without expecting anything in return | A parent's unconditional love gives a child a sense of security. |
| mutual respect | respect that two people show each other | Their marriage is built on mutual respect, even during disagreements. |
| a strong bond | a deep, lasting connection between people | My brother and I have a strong bond, even though we argue a lot. |
| extended family | relatives beyond your parents and siblings, such as cousins | Our extended family gets together every summer for a big reunion. |
| a single-parent household | a home where one parent raises the children | Growing up in a single-parent household made her very independent. |
| a blended family | a family that includes children from earlier relationships | Their blended family includes four children from two marriages. |
| emotional support | comfort and encouragement during hard times | Friends can offer just as much emotional support as family. |
| a lifelong friendship | a friendship that lasts your whole life | Their lifelong friendship started in kindergarten. |
| a strained relationship | a relationship affected by tension or conflict | After the argument, they had a strained relationship for months. |
| an only child | a child with no brothers or sisters | As an only child, I spent most holidays with my cousins. |
| the generation gap | differences in values or habits between age groups | There's a real generation gap in how my parents and I use our phones. |
Phrasal verbs
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| grow apart | slowly become less close as you change | We were best friends, but we grew apart after high school. |
| look after | take care of someone | My aunt used to look after us while our parents worked. |
| fall out (with) | have a disagreement that damages a relationship | She fell out with her sister over their parents' house. |
| make up (after an argument) | become friends again after a disagreement | It took a few days, but we finally made up. |
| bring up (children) | raise children | They were brought up by their grandparents. |
| get along with | have a friendly relationship with someone | I've always gotten along with my in-laws surprisingly well. |
| rely on | depend on someone for help or support | Growing up, we could always rely on our neighbours. |
| open up to | share personal feelings honestly with someone | It took her years to open up to her stepfather. |
| drift apart | slowly lose contact, often without any conflict | Old friends sometimes just drift apart as life gets busier. |
| reach out to | contact someone, especially after a long silence | I decided to reach out to my cousin after years of silence. |
| put up with | tolerate something difficult or annoying | My roommate has to put up with my terrible cooking. |
| stand by | stay loyal to someone during hard times | My best friend stood by me through the divorce. |
Formal and spoken phrases for relationships and family
These phrases belong to family situations. Use the formal ones in a Writing Task 1 email to an employer or school about a family matter, or in a Writing Task 2 survey response about family life, and the spoken ones when you talk about the people close to you in Speaking.
Formal phrases for Writing
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| family dynamics | the patterns of interaction within a family | Family dynamics often change after the birth of a second child. |
| interpersonal relationships | relationships between individuals | Strong interpersonal relationships contribute to overall well-being. |
| a strong support network | a reliable group of people who help you | Newcomers with a strong support network often settle in more quickly. |
| a sense of belonging | a feeling of being accepted and connected | Extended family gatherings can give children a sense of belonging. |
| foster closeness | encourage people to become closer | Shared traditions often foster closeness across generations. |
| family obligations | duties you have toward relatives | Due to family obligations, I am unable to travel for work next month. |
| a family emergency | a sudden serious situation involving a relative | I had to leave the office early on Tuesday because of a family emergency. |
| childcare arrangements | plans for who will look after your children | I need to make childcare arrangements before I can accept the evening shift. |
| caregiving responsibilities | the duty of looking after a sick or older relative | Many employees have caregiving responsibilities for aging parents. |
Spoken phrases for Speaking
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| we're really close | we have a strong, warm relationship | My cousin and I are really close. She's more like a sister. |
| I owe her everything | I am deeply grateful to her | I owe her everything. She raised me practically on her own. |
| it runs in the family | many people in the family share this trait | The stubbornness definitely runs in the family. |
| we go way back | we've known each other for a very long time | Sam and I go way back. We met in kindergarten. |
| family comes first | family is the top priority | Whatever happens at work, family comes first for me. |
| I'll always have your back | I will always support and defend you | No matter what happens, I'll always have your back. |
| let's catch up soon | let's meet or talk again soon | It's been forever. Let's catch up soon. |
| blood is thicker than water | family ties are stronger than other relationships | We argue a lot, but blood is thicker than water. |
| two peas in a pod | two people who are very alike | My grandparents are like two peas in a pod. |
| take after | look or act like an older relative | He really takes after his dad. They have the same sense of humour. |
| a shoulder to cry on | someone who comforts you when you are sad | She's always been a shoulder to cry on for me. |
| keep it in the family | deal with something privately, among relatives | We decided to keep it in the family rather than involve outsiders. |
Connectors such as "in contrast" and chunks such as "to be fair" fit any topic, so they are collected on two shared pages: Formal Phrases for CELPIP Writing and Natural Spoken Phrases for CELPIP Speaking.
Worked examples
Writing Task 1: Inviting a cousin to an anniversary party
Prompt: Your grandparents are celebrating a special anniversary, and you are planning a party. Write an email to a cousin you have not spoken to in a long time. In your email:
- explain why you are writing;
- describe the party;
- ask your cousin to help with something.
Dear Mira,
I know it has been far too long, and I'm sorry we didn't keep in touch after you moved to Halifax. I've wanted to reach out to you for months, and now I finally have a good reason.
On June 14, Grandma and Grandpa will celebrate a huge milestone: their fiftieth wedding anniversary. We're planning a surprise party at my parents' house, and our whole extended family will be there, even Uncle Ravi from Winnipeg. Grandma always says we're a close-knit family, so having everyone in one room would mean the world to her.
I also have a favour to ask. You kept the old photo albums from the cottage. Could you scan twenty or thirty pictures and email them to me by June 1? I'd like to make a slideshow about how they raised a family on a farm with very little money.
I really hope you can come. It would be wonderful to spend some quality time together again, just like we did as kids.
Love,
Ana
The email answers each bullet in its own paragraph, gives the date, place and guests, and makes one specific request with a deadline.
Speaking Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience
Prompt: Talk about a time when a family member helped you through a difficult period.
When I first moved to Canada, I lived with my older brother in Edmonton for about six months, and he really stood by me during a hard time.
I'd left my job and all my friends behind, and for the first few weeks I felt completely lost. I couldn't find work, and I started to feel like I didn't belong anywhere. My brother noticed I was quiet, and one night he sat me down and asked me to open up to him.
After that, he gave me a lot of emotional support. He helped me update my résumé, he drove me to interviews, and every Sunday he made sure we spent quality time together, even if it was just a walk by the river. I knew I could rely on him.
Looking back, I couldn't have managed without him. We've always had a strong bond, but that winter made us even closer. Honestly, I owe him everything.
The story sets the scene, explains what the brother did with three specific actions, and ends with what the experience meant, which fills the 60 seconds.
CLB 7 vs CLB 9: one sentence, two ways
CLB 7 version: My sister and I had a fight, but after some days we were friends again.
CLB 9 version: My sister and I fell out over something silly, but we made up a few days later.
What changed: "had a fight" became the phrasal verb "fell out", and "were friends again" became "made up".
Common mistakes
- "They want to do a family" → They want to start a family. Use raise a family for bringing up children who are already born.
- "We keep contact every week" → We keep in touch every week (or stay in contact).
- "It's hard to make a relationship with new coworkers" → It's hard to build a relationship with new coworkers.
- "We spend time quality on weekends" → We spend quality time on weekends. The adjective "quality" goes before "time".
- "Her unconditionally love" → her unconditional love. Use the adjective before a noun.
- "I'm married with her" → I'm married to her.
- "We got married since 2015" → We've been married since 2015 or We got married in 2015.
- "My parents in law" → my parents-in-law or my in-laws. The compound takes hyphens.
- "My cousin brother" or "my cousin sister" → my cousin. "Cousin brother" is common in some varieties of English, but in Canadian English one word covers male and female cousins.
- "I get along my sister" → I get along with my sister.
- "She brought up by her grandmother" → She was brought up by her grandmother. The passive needs "was".
- "I look for my little brother after school" (meaning take care of him) → I look after my little brother after school. "Look for" means search.
- "I reached out my cousin" → I reached out to my cousin.
- "I fell out with her" (meaning you fell in love) → I fell for her. "Fall out with" means having an argument and stopping being friendly.
- "She takes after her grandmother" (meaning she cares for her) → She looks after her grandmother. "Take after" means resemble.
- "We go back way" → We go way back. The word order is fixed.
- "It runs on the family" → It runs in the family.
- "Blood is thicker than water" (in a formal survey response) → family ties often come first. The idiom belongs in Speaking or a friendly email.
Practise
- Vocabulary flashcards and quizzes: review these collocations until they come to mind without effort.
- Writing Task 1 practice: write an email to a relative or old friend and use at least five collocations from this page.
- Speaking Task 2 practice: tell a story about someone who supported you using "stand by", "open up to" and "rely on".