Word for slightly changed

You will often need to describe change in IELTS both in writing and speaking. Very frequently you are asked to discuss

• what has changed from the past
• what changes you think will occur in the future
• what change you think should be made

To do this well, you need a variety of ways to discuss change and his lesson helps you out with some words and phrases to do just this. You will also find plenty of exercises to practise your skills in using change words and phrases.

Key words for change from the Academic Word List

The Academic Word List contains some of the most common words in English. These are exactly the sort of words you need for IELTS. These exercises are not intended to show you the meaning of the words, rather how they’re used. The idea is to focus on the word forms and families. One of the most efficient ways to learn language is to learn 3/4 words at a time and not just one. What do I mean? Don’t learn adjust learn 3 words

• adjust
• adjustment
• adjustable

Adjust

 Typically, if you adjust something you make a fairly small change to it – unless you say otherwise. You can still make a major adjustment! There are 3 common forms of this word. The verb is adjust, the noun adjustment and the adjective adjustable. See how they are used in this quick exercise:

Notes

• a common colocation is make an adjustment
• the most common preposition here is to. You adjust to something

Alter

The words you want here are alter (the verb), alteration (the noun), altering (a participle) and a related noun alternative.

Notes

Alternative is not strictly part of the AWL. It is though a very useful word and forms part of the alter word family. An alternative is something you have changed really.

You often make an alteration to something.

Amend

This is one of those words you need to be slightly careful using. It is often used in a quite specialist sense of making changes to a policy or a document. The two most common forms of the word are amend ( verb) and amendment ( a noun)

Notes

A common phrase is to make an amendment to something.

Evolve

Again this word has a fairly narrow use. It describes change but slow and gradual change. The common forms of the word are evolve (the verb), evolution (the noun) and evolved (a participle)

Notes

Things evolve from something into something else

Modify

If you modify something you change it but typically in a small way and the essence remains the same. The key forms of this word are modify (the verb), modification (the noun) and modified (a participle)

Some less common change words and idioms

It is always nice to be able to use some more advanced vocabulary. You do need though to be careful. These words are much less common and are often used only for specific types of change. You can use idioms when you speak but you have to be confident that you are using them accurately. You will get no reward for producing “learnt” language that is out of place.

refine/refinement

If you refine something you generally make it better often by looking at detail and/or by making a small change

One refinement to this idea would be to allow grandparents and not just parents be responsible for young people’s behaviour.

acclimatise/acclimatisation

If you acclimatise to something you get comfortable with a new situation. You can use this word when you move into a new culture or environment. It is broadly similar in meaning to get used to.

It took me some time to acclimatise to going back to work after having been a house husband!

overhaul

If you overhaul something you completely change it. It is properly used for engines but you can also overhaul systems.

The problems in primary education are so severe that the whole system needs to be overhauled.

tinker with

This one is idiomatic and so probably best used in speaking and not writing. If you tinker with something you typically spend quite a lot of time making small changes. Very often the changes are insignificant and perhaps a waste of time

I’m not a fan of DIY in technology. My brother spends ages tinkering with his computer. But I think he’s wasting his time as it never seems to work properly.

move with the times

This is an idiom you could use. If you move with the times, you keep up with new trends and ways of thinking.

My parents are fairly conservative. They haven’t really moved with the times and still have difficulty with technology such as smart phones.

turn things upside down

This is another idiom that could be useful in speaking. If you turn things upside down, you change them completely – often in a negative way.

Yes, I do think attitudes to exams and continuous assessment need to change but I think it’d be a mistake to turn things upside down. There’s a lot that is right in the current set up.

Types of change

When you write and speak about changes it helps to think how big that change is and/or how quickly it happens. If you do this, you get to use some more interesting vocabulary and also write more specifically. Both are these are good things!

Note here that you can still use the word change. It is a common word and not one you should avoid using. The idea is that when you do use it you think about the type of change.

Big changes

Beyond all recognition

Educational systems have changed beyond all recognition in the last 20 years.

Dramatic/ dramatically

The nature of communication has changed dramatically with the advent of computer technology.

Revolution/revolutionise

Smart phones have revolutionised the way we use the internet as we are now no longer reliant on computers.

Radical shift

In recent years there has been a radical shift in the way people think about the environment.

Transform/transformation

Science, and genetical modified crops in particular, have transformed farming practice.

Smaller changes

These phrases show smaller changes.

a slight shift

There has been a slight shift in attitudes towards immigration and more people are now willing to accept that it can help the economy.

a minor adjustment 

There is no need to completely change the way our children are educated, the curriculum only need a minor adjustment.

Speed of change

rate/pace of change

Not everyone is happy with this rate of change and many would prefer that there were fewer new developments built in town centres. 

an overnight change  

It is unrealistic to expect this change to occur overnight as first of all attitudes towards air travel need to change.

slow but steady/slowly but steadily

Slowly but steadily more and more people are doing their shopping in out of town supermarkets and this is changing town centres.

a gradual process

This change has been evolutionary and a gradual process as it has taken people some time to get used to the idea of shopping online.

Some exercises

Practice questions

It’s good to have words but you really learn them bye using them for yourself. Take a look at these possible speaking questions and try and answer them. Don’t be afraid to use the word change but do think about how big/small the change is and how fast it happened. Do that and you should use better vocabulary and speak about detail.

How has your home town changed in recent years?

Is there anything you would change about your home town?

Have attitudes to marriage changed in your country?

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