Problems & 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. 

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: 


 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. 


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)


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.


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.
