Technology & Digital Life — Part 1
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
What you'll learn: the verb + noun collocations for the tech actions people describe constantly on CELPIP — streaming a video, updating software, connecting to Wi-Fi — so your answers about technology sound precise rather than vague.
Why this vocabulary shows up on CELPIP
Technology prompts appear across every CELPIP section: an email about a broken laptop, a survey opinion on screen time, a speaking task predicting what a person in a photo is doing with their phone. Test-takers who default to generic verbs like "use the internet" or "do something on my phone" lose points for precision. Verb + noun collocations give you an exact, natural way to name what's actually happening.
Core collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| browse the internet | look through websites casually | I like to browse the internet while I have my morning coffee. |
| stream a video | watch video content live over the internet | We usually stream a video instead of renting a DVD. |
| back up data | make a copy of files in case the originals are lost | Make sure you back up your data before the update. |
| download an app | install a program onto a phone or computer | I just downloaded an app for tracking my expenses. |
| update software | install the newest version of a program | You should update your software regularly for security. |
| charge a device | connect a device to power to refill its battery | Don't forget to charge your device overnight. |
| connect to Wi-Fi | join a wireless internet network | The cafe lets customers connect to Wi-Fi for free. |
| sync files | make files identical across multiple devices | I sync my files between my laptop and phone automatically. |
| troubleshoot an issue | identify and fix a technical problem | The IT team helped me troubleshoot the issue with my printer. |
| install an update | add a new software version to a device | My phone installed an update overnight without asking me. |
| restore a device | return a device to an earlier saved state | I had to restore my phone after the crash. |
| protect your privacy | take steps to keep personal information secure | Using strong passwords helps protect your privacy online. |
Worked example — CELPIP Writing Task 1
Prompt: Write an email to a coworker explaining a technical problem you had before an important meeting.
Hi Daniel,
Sorry for the confusion this morning — my laptop wouldn't connect to Wi-Fi right before the client call, so I had to scramble. It turned out my system tried to install an update overnight and got stuck halfway. IT eventually helped me troubleshoot the issue, and thankfully I'd remembered to back up my data the night before, so nothing was lost. I also had to restore my device to get the settings working properly again. Going forward, I'm going to update my software on weekends instead of weekday mornings, and I've already started using an app to sync my files automatically so this doesn't happen again.
Thanks for your patience,
Reza
Common mistakes
- Saying "do an update" instead of the correct collocation install an update or update software.
- Using "charge the battery of my phone" when the simpler, more natural phrase is charge a device.
- Writing "connect the Wi-Fi" instead of the correct preposition pattern connect to Wi-Fi.
- Confusing "back up" (verb, two words) with "backup" (noun, one word) — you back up data, and the result is called a "backup."
- Saying "watch a stream" when you mean the action itself — the natural verb phrase is stream a video.
Recap
These twelve verb + noun collocations — browse the internet, stream a video, back up data, download an app, update software, connect to Wi-Fi, and more — give you a precise, natural vocabulary base for describing everyday tech use on CELPIP.