Problems & Solutions
1.Problems
2.Small problems
3.Solutions
1.Problems
problem noun [countable] a situation that must be dealt with because it is causing harm or inconvenience, or because it is stopping you from doing what you want to do:
•Britain faced enormous economic and social problems after the war.
•Classroom discipline is a serious problem in many schools.
•A special force was set up to try to deal with the problem of gun crime.
•The sooner this problem is solved (=successfully dealt with), the better.
•The US government needs to do more to help tackle the problem (=deal with the problem) of global warming.
•It is in everyone's interest to address the problem (=find ways of solving the problem) of global poverty.
•The engineers say that they have fixed all the technical problems that could have caused the accident.
•Professor Murray believes that the root of the problem lies (=the origin of the problem is) in a basic fault in the car's design.
•Problems can arise (=problems can happen) when people try to defend themselves in court without help from a lawyer.
issue noun [countable] a problem that needs to be dealt with, or a subject that is
important and needs to be discussed:
•International terrorism is the biggest issue (=the most important issue) facing the world today.
•Security is an important issue when buying things on the internet.
•Previous governments failed to address (=try to deal with) social issues such as unemployment and homelessness.
•The issue can only be resolved (=be successfully dealt with) through negotiation between the two sides.
•Nuclear power is a highly controversial issue (=one that causes a lot of public
argument and disagreement) in the UK.
• Immigration could be a key issue (=a very important issue) at the next election.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Issue is used especially about problems that affect a lot of people in society. It is also often used instead of the word problem because it sounds less negative.
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challenge noun [countable] something difficult that you must do or deal with, which
needs a lot of skill, effort, and determination:
•Understanding the brain is one of the biggest challenges in science.
•She said she was looking forward to the challenge of starting up a new business on her own.
•The Colombian government knows that it faces huge challenges if it is to win the war on drugs.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Challenge is used especially when talking about something that sounds exciting and interesting, because it will take a lot of effort and skill.
difficulty noun [countable usually plural, uncountable] a problem that makes it more difficult to do something that you are trying to do:
•The company has managed to overcome (=deal with) its recent financial difficulties.
•Many people experience difficulty in sleeping at some time in their lives.
•The project ran into difficulty (=started to have difficulties) because of lack of money.
•This type of research is fraught with difficulty (=involves a lot of difficulties).
trouble noun [uncountable and countable] a problem or several problems that make
something difficult, spoil your plans etc:
•The trouble was caused by a loose wire.
•They had trouble finding the building where the meeting was held.
•Students of English often have trouble with phrasal verbs.
•The company ran into trouble (=started to have problems) when it tried to expand too quickly.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Trouble can be used either as an uncountable noun, for example:
They had a great deal of trouble with the new computer system or as a countable noun, for example: Teenagers often find it difficult to tell their parents about their troubles. (=about the problems in their lives that are making them worried and unhappy)
complication noun [countable] an additional problem that makes a bad or difficult situation even harder to deal with than it already is:
•The project should finish in June, provided that there are no more complications.
•The surgeons knew it would be a difficult operation. A further complication (=another complication) was that the patient was in her 60s.
setback noun [countable] something that happens which stops you making progress or
which makes things worse than they were before:
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•The peace talks suffered a major setback when a bomb exploded outside the conference hotel.
•Despite some early setbacks, his campaign for the presidency was successful.
obstacle noun [countable] a difficult problem that stops someone or something making
progress or developing:
•Criminal gangs are the biggest obstacle to democratic reform.
•The lack of child care is an enormous obstacle to women's participation in the work force.
•There are still some major technical obstacles to overcome (=to deal with).
pitfall noun [countable] a problem that is likely to happen when you are doing something, especially one that is caused by a mistake that people often make:
•The book shows you how to avoid the usual pitfalls when you are at an interview.
•The most common pitfall when treating the disease is to give too much treatment too late.
•Financial advisers should explain to customers the potential pitfalls (=the problems that could happen) of investing in risky small company stocks.
dilemma noun [countable] a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do,
because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad:
•The doctors were faced with a moral dilemma. Should they carry out the operation, when there was such a small chance of success?
•Kennedy found himself in a dilemma over Cuba. On the one hand he did not want to risk a nuclear war, but on the other he could not allow the Russians to place nuclear weapons so close to American soil.
vicious circle noun [singular] a situation in which one problem causes another problem, that then causes the first problem again, so that the whole process continues to be repeated:
•Some developing countries get caught in a vicious circle. They cannot afford to pay their debt repayments, and so the debts get even bigger.
•Stress at work can create a vicious circle. If you feel stressed and under pressure, you take longer to do your job, and because you take longer you become more stressed.
2. Small problems
teething problems / troubles noun [plural] small problems which happen when
you start using or doing something new:
•With any computer system, there are likely to be one or two teething problems at first.
•There have been some teething troubles with the new rail service.
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hitch noun [countable] a small problem when you are trying to do something:
•Everything went well on the first night of the play except for one or two slight hitches with the lighting.
•The plan went off without a hitch. (=There were no problems)
snag noun [countable] a small problem or disadvantage, especially in something which
is mainly good and satisfactory:
•The only snag with going on holiday in Sweden is the cost.
•There are one or two little snags that needed to be ironed out. (=dealt with)
•Almost immediately after they began their research, they hit a series of snags. (=they had to deal with a number of small problems)
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Hitch and snag are informal words, and should not be used in formal essays.
3. Solutions
solution noun [countable] a way of dealing with a problem:
•Politicians have been trying to find a solution to the housing crisis for many years now.
•In this essay I shall consider the main causes of the problem of air pollution, and try to put forward (=suggest) some possible solutions.
•Unless scientists can come up with a solution (=think of a solution) quickly, we may soon run out of sources of energy.
•When people become too old to look after themselves, the ideal solution is for other
members of their family to look after them.
•If you have difficulty sleeping, you need to identify the factors that are causing it and deal with them. That is the only effective long-term solution.
•There was no easy solution to Tom's problem. (=there was no easy way of dealing with it)
answer noun [countable] a successful way of dealing with a problem or an
unsatisfactory situation:
•Some people believe that the only answer to the problem of rising crime is to build more prisons.
•It would be mistaken to think that science and technology can always provide an answer to everything.
•There are no easy answers to the problem of teenage pregnancies.
•People have been struggling with this problem for a long time, but no one has yet come up with an answer. (=thought of an answer)
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way out noun [countable] a way of dealing with a very serious situation which you
have become involved in:
•The president's advisors are trying to find a way out of the crisis.
•At first there seemed to be no way out of her difficulties.
cure noun [countable] a way of completely getting rid of a problem, especially one that
affects many people in society, so that it does not happen again:
•The only cure for unemployment is to make it easier for companies to invest and create new jobs.
•Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for inflation. (=there is nothing that will
immediately make the situation better)
• Prison is not a cure for all social ills. (=a cure for all social problems)
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Cure, remedy, prescription, and panacea are used metaphorically to talk about dealing with problems. Their original meanings relate to treating illnesses.
remedy noun [countable] a possible way of dealing with a problem, especially using
practical methods:
•Expensive hi-tech remedies are often useless to poor countries.
•A number of remedies have been suggested, but so far none of them has shown itself to be effective.
prescription noun [countable] something that someone suggests as a way of dealing
with a problem:
•Their prescription for dealing with poverty in Africa is to encourage more trade, instead of increasing aid.
•The socialists' main prescription for any social problem seems to be to pump more and more money into the system.
panacea noun [countable] a formal word, meaning something that people hope will solve all their problems. You use panacea when you doubt that something can really do this:
•The law is not a universal panacea. (=it cannot solve all our problems)
•Some people think that free market capitalism is a panacea for all our ills. (=something that will solve all our problems)
•Furthermore, industrialization has rarely been the panacea for rural poverty that had been hoped.
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quick fix noun [countable] a quick way of dealing with a problem, which usually only works for a short time. You use quick fix especially when you think that people need to find a more permanent solution:
•There is no quick fix to defeat terrorism.
•A leading scientist has warned that quick fix schemes to deal with global warming could potentially be more damaging than the problem itself.
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Quick fix is an informal phrase, and should not be used in formal essays.
magic bullet noun [countable] something that solves a difficult problem quickly and simply. You use magic bullet especially when saying that it will be difficult to find such a solution:
•There is no magic bullet for dealing with inflation.
•Although a magic bullet for curing cancer is still not likely any time soon, researchers are making slow and steady progress.
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