A Solution TO, an Increase IN: The Small Words That Make You Sound Natural
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VoyaLang Team
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ACADEMIC WORDS
A Solution TO, an Increase IN: The Small Words That Make You Sound Natural
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The word is right, the small word is not
"The government must find a solution of this problem." Every word there is correct English. The noun is the right noun. And a reader hears the mistake instantly, because solution owns the word to and always has. There is no rule to work out here, no logic to apply. Each noun simply keeps one preposition, and these are the nouns IELTS asks about again and again.
5 you will need in almost every essay
1
a solution TO
There is no easy solution of this problem.
There is no easy solution to this problem.
The same to follows an alternative to, a threat to, access to, and an answer to. If the noun points at a problem it is solving or reaching, it usually takes to.
2
an increase IN
There has been a large increase of homeworking.
There has been a large increase in homeworking.
In says WHAT grew. Of says BY HOW MUCH. So the full phrase is an increase in sales of twenty percent, and both little words are doing separate jobs.
3
the impact ON
Social media has a serious impact to teenagers.
Social media has a serious impact on teenagers.
On is the preposition of consequence: an impact on, an effect on, an influence on, pressure on. Affect takes nothing at all, because it is a verb doing the same job.
4
a reason FOR
The main reason of this change is cost.
The main reason for this change is cost.
For is the preposition of purpose and cause: a reason for, the need for, demand for, responsibility for, and a solution is the one that breaks the pattern by taking to instead.
5
a lack OF
The city suffers from a lack in green space.
The city suffers from a lack of green space.
Of is the preposition of belonging: a lack of, the cause of, an advantage of, awareness of. When the second noun is simply what the first one is made of or about, use of.
The Task 1 pair that changes your numbers
1
rose BY
how much it moved
Example: Sales rose by ten percent. (It gained ten.)
2
rose TO
where it ended up
Example: Sales rose to forty percent. (It finished at forty.)
3
an increase IN ... OF ...
what grew, then by how much
Example: An increase in car use of nearly a third.
4
between ... AND ...
the two ends of a period or a range
Example: Between 2010 and 2020 the figure doubled.
The four families, in one line each
TO for what it reaches: a solution to, an alternative to, access to, a threat to, an answer to.
IN for what changed: an increase in, a rise in, a fall in, a decrease in, a change in.
ON for what it hits: an impact on, an effect on, an influence on, pressure on, a tax on.
FOR for why: a reason for, the need for, demand for, responsibility for, a solution is the exception.
OF for what it belongs to: a lack of, the cause of, an advantage of, awareness of.
Why Task 1 punishes this harder
In an essay a wrong preposition costs you a little vocabulary credit. In a Task 1 report it can make your data wrong. Rose by ten percent and rose to ten percent describe two completely different lines on the same graph, and if you write the one the chart does not show, that is not a style problem any more. It is an accuracy problem, and accuracy is the heart of Task Achievement. This is the cheapest place in the whole exam to lose real marks.
You only need the prepositions for the nouns you actually reach for, and that list is shorter than you think. Write your next essay or Task 1 report in VoyaLang and read the corrections. Wrong prepositions are marked inside your own sentences with the right one beside them, which is the only way these ever stick, because there is no rule to revise. Create a free account and check your next one in about a minute.
