Virtuous English AcademyProblems & Solutions — B1 English Vocabulary
This B1 vocabulary list gathers 40 intermediate English words about problems & solutions — difficulties, risks and how to fix them. Every word comes with a simple definition, its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
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Using problems & solutions words in English
This list is built around one preposition that learners almost always get wrong. In English a solution takes to, not of, and the mistake is so common that fixing it noticeably improves written work. The topic also separates three words for something going wrong — mistake, error and fault — and three verbs for dealing with it, of which cope is the one that always needs a preposition.
What to watch out for
A solution to a problem, and a problem with something
The pattern is a solution to the problem — never of. Alongside it: a problem with the engine, an obstacle to progress, an answer to the question, a difficulty in finding staff. These prepositions are fixed and cannot be worked out, so it is worth writing them into your notes as whole phrases rather than as separate words.
Mistake, error and fault
A mistake is something a person got wrong: I made a mistake. Note the verb — you make a mistake, never do one. An error is the same idea in more formal or technical language: a system error, a margin of error. A fault is either a flaw in a machine — an electrical fault — or the responsibility for something going wrong: It was my fault.
Cope with, deal with, manage
Cope always takes with and suggests surviving something difficult: She is coping with a heavy workload. Deal with means to take action on it: I will deal with the complaint. Manage can stand alone meaning to succeed despite difficulty: Do not worry, we will manage. Also worth separating: solve and resolve both fix things, but you solve a problem or a puzzle and resolve a dispute or a conflict.
Words learners mix up
Three tables: four kinds of trouble and what each one actually names, the four words for what might go wrong and their four different prepositions, and the chain of cause and consequence.
Four kinds of trouble
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| crisis | A dangerous moment when something must be decided. The plural is crises, with the last syllable changing sound. | The company came through the crisis intact. |
| dilemma | A choice between two options that are both bad. Not simply a hard decision. | It left her with a genuine dilemma. |
| obstacle | Something standing in the way of progress. It takes to: an obstacle to growth. | Cost is the biggest obstacle. |
| setback | An event that delays progress you had already made. One word, countable. | The delay was a serious setback. |
Dilemma is misused constantly, including by native speakers, to mean any difficult problem. Its real force is that both ways out are unwelcome, which is why it is stronger and more precise than problem. Crisis is the plural to fix now, because crisises is never correct and the pattern repeats in analysis and basis.
What might go wrong: four words, four prepositions
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| risk | The chance that something bad happens. It takes of, and the fixed phrases are at risk and run the risk. | There is a risk of flooding tonight. |
| danger | Nearer and more physical than a risk. It takes of as well, and the phrase is in danger. | The building is in danger of collapse. |
| threat | Something or somebody that could cause harm. It takes to, not of. | The disease is a threat to the whole crop. |
| hazard | A specific source of danger, used in safety and technical writing: a fire hazard. | Loose wires are a serious hazard. |
The preposition is doing the real work here: it is a risk of and a danger of but a threat to, because a threat points at its victim while a risk points at the event. Hazard belongs to notices and workplace documents, and British English also uses the hazards for the flashing lights on a car.
The chain: cause, effect and consequence
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| cause | Noun and verb. As a noun it takes of: the cause of the accident. | Nobody has established the cause of the fire. |
| effect | The result. It takes on, never of the thing affected: the effect on prices. | The rain had no effect on attendance. |
| consequence | A result, usually an unwelcome one that follows later. It takes of. | He accepted the consequences of his decision. |
| trigger | Noun and verb for whatever starts a chain of events, often suddenly. | The announcement triggered a wave of complaints. |
The single most valuable thing on this page is effect on. The effect of the weather names what caused it, while the effect on the harvest names what suffered — and it is the second pattern learners drop. The related trap is affect with an a, which is the verb, against effect with an e, which is the noun.
Collocations that sound natural
Six words that appear in complaints, plans and problem-solving. Two are uncountable in ways that surprise learners, and two take a preposition that cannot be guessed.
trouble
get into troublehave trouble finding itthe trouble isask for trouble
Uncountable, so a trouble is not possible and the countable word is a problem. Have trouble is followed by an -ing form with no preposition, and the trouble is that is the standard way of introducing the real difficulty.
complaint
make a complainta formal complainta letter of complaintcomplain about the noise
Countable, and the verb is make. The verb complain takes about for the thing and to for the person, so complain to the manager about the food uses both in one sentence.
compromise
reach a compromisea compromise between the twobe prepared to compromisea workable compromise
The verb is reach or come to, never make. As a verb it takes on for the point conceded. It also has a negative second sense meaning to weaken or endanger, as in the security was compromised.
strategy
a long-term strategydevelop a strategya strategy for growthchange strategy
Countable, and the aim takes for. A strategy is the overall plan and a tactic is one move within it, which is a distinction business writing takes seriously. The adjective is strategic, with the stress on the second syllable.
barrier
a barrier to progressbreak down barriersthe language barrierremove the barriers
It takes to for whatever it is blocking. The language barrier is a fixed phrase, and break down barriers is used almost entirely about social and cultural ones rather than physical ones.
prevent
prevent an accidentprevent him from leavingprevent the spreadprevention is better than cure
When a person is involved the structure is prevent somebody from doing, and the from is easy to drop. Compare avoid, which takes an -ing form directly, and stop, which allows the from to be left out.
Where each word belongs
Seven words carrying a level of formality or a second meaning. In writing about problems, the difference between the informal word and the formal one is usually the difference between a message and a letter.
- fixInformal · and a noun in idiomsThe everyday verb for repairing something, and also for arranging one: fix a meeting. Formal writing prefers repair for objects and resolve for problems. As a noun a quick fix means a temporary solution nobody trusts, and in a fix means in trouble.
- resolutionThree senses in three settingsThe formal noun for solving a dispute, the decision a committee votes on, and the promise made at New Year. Screen quality is a fourth. Only the first belongs with resolve in the sense used on this page.
- difficultyCountable and uncountableUncountable when it means how hard something is — the difficulty of the task — and countable when you list particular problems: we ran into difficulties. The fixed phrase have difficulty is followed by an -ing form and no preposition.
- handleInformal · and the thing on a doorTo deal with something successfully, and slightly informal: can you handle it? Formal writing prefers deal with or manage. The noun is the part of a door or a bag you hold, which is unrelated in everyday use.
- eliminateFormal · and a sporting senseTo remove something completely, and it takes a direct object. It is stronger than reduce and belongs in reports rather than conversation. In sport it means to knock a team out of a competition, and there it is nearly always passive.
- identifyWriting · and identify withTo recognise and name something precisely, which is why reports identify the causes. Note the separate phrasal use: identify with somebody means to feel you understand them, which is entirely different and takes a person.
- improviseNeutral · and always a compliment about abilityTo do something without preparation, using whatever is available. It is neutral to positive in English, since it credits quick thinking rather than blaming poor planning. The noun is improvisation, which is also a technical term in music and drama.
Sentences to try
Four frames with the fixed prepositions. Describe a real difficulty you have had using each one.
- There is no simple solution to this problem.
- We are having a problem with the heating system.
- She is coping with a very difficult situation at work.
- It was my fault — I made a serious error.
Questions about problems & solutions vocabulary
Is it "solution of" or "solution to"?
Solution to. The fixed pattern is a solution to the problem, a solution to the crisis. Solution of exists only in chemistry, where it means a substance dissolved in liquid: a solution of salt in water. The neighbouring nouns take their own prepositions and are best learned together: an answer to a question, a problem with a machine, an obstacle to progress, a reason for a decision, a difficulty in doing something.
What is the difference between a mistake, an error and a fault?
A mistake is something a person does wrong, and it is the everyday word: I made a mistake in the calculation. An error means the same but is more formal or technical, and it dominates in computing, statistics and science: a rounding error, an error message. A fault is either a defect in a machine or system — a fault in the wiring — or the blame for something: It is not your fault. Note that English says make a mistake, never do one.
What is the difference between solve and resolve?
You solve things that have a correct answer: solve a problem, solve a puzzle, solve a crime, solve an equation. You resolve things that involve disagreement or uncertainty and need settling: resolve a dispute, resolve a conflict, resolve an issue between two departments. The two overlap around the word problem, where both are heard, but solve a problem is far more common. Resolve also has a separate meaning of deciding firmly: He resolved to start running.