Overcome – Word Of The Day For IELTS

Overcome – Word Of The Day For IELTS Speaking And Writing

Overcome: (Verb) /əʊvəˈkʌm/

Definition:

To successfully control a feeling or problem that prevents you from achieving something.

Synonyms: 

Defeat, Beat, Conquer

Collocations: 

With noun: overcome attempt/ barrier/ challenge/ crisis/ difficulty/ fear/ obstacle/ problem/ shyness
With verb:design/ help/ manage/need/ try to overcome

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:.
“A number of solutions have been put forward to try and overcome this problem.”
“Each school had to overcome numerous barriers to reform through the collective work of all the faculty.”

For IELTS Writing:
“Only when you overcome the crisis of self-confidence can opportunity make a difference in your life.”

Exercise:

Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs below. There may be more than one possible answer so try to use each verb once only. 

concentrate, do, learn, overcome, organise, study, take, teach, review, revise

Even the most studious among you will probably have difficulty studying at some stage in your academic career. If or when this happens, the only way to (1)…………………….this problem is to go back to basics. First, make sure you have a comfortable environment to (2)…………………….in. Some students need to have a quiet space to themselves and can’t (3)…………………….if there are too many distractions. Others need some sort of background noise, such as music or the company of friends. Whatever your personal preference is, you need to (A)…………………….this first of all. Next, make sure you have all of the equipment or tools that you need. For example, if you are (5)……………………. a geography course and you have to (6)…………………….about countries and their capital cities then you will need to have your atlas to hand. If you’re (7)…………………….your maths homework then be sure to find your calculator, ruler, protractor and compass before you start. Perhaps you’re not preparing a homework assignment or project, but are trying to (8)…………………….for an exam. If so, you need to know exactly what is on your curriculum. You should also (9)…………………….your notes and make sure that you have a clear understanding of what your lecturers have (10)…………………….you. Of course, people with a learning disorder such as dyslexia may need to work harder than others at their studies as they often struggle to read even relatively simple texts.

Answer key

1. overcome
2. study
3. concentrate/ study
4. organise
5. taking/ studying
6. learn
7. doing
8. revise
9. review
10. taught

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