n[C]
1【difficulty】23【question】4 no problem5 the (only) problem is (that) ...6 that's your/his etc problem7 it's/that's not my problem8 What's your/his etc problem?9 Do you have a problem with that?10 problem child/family/drinker etc
[
Date: 1300-1400;
Language: French;Origin: problème, from
Latin problema, from
Greek,
'something thrown forward', from proballein
'to throw forward']
【DIFFICULTY】a situation that causes difficulties
problem of the problem of race relationsproblem with I've been having a few problems with my car. She was older than me, but that wasn't a problem. new ways of dealing with the problem of street crime Does this mean that all our problems are solved ? They still have some serious problems to overcome . new measures aimed at tackling the drug problem The shortage of teachers poses a major problem . The country has huge economic problems . He had to take some time off work due to personal problems . The marriage ended because of her husband's drink problem . We still haven't sorted out the thorny problem of where exactly the money is going to come from.see usage notetrouble1 something wrong with your health or with part of your body
health problem/problem with your health Does she have any long-term health problems?back/heart/kidney etc problem If you have back problems you should avoid lifting heavy objects.hearing problem Many people with hearing problems try to hide their condition.weight problem She refuses to admit to herself that she has a weight problem.emotional/psychological problem Is this a sign of some kind of deeper psychological problem?【QUESTION】a question for which you have to find the right answer, using mathematics or careful thought
She gave us 20 mathematical problems to solve.no problemspokena) used to say that you are happy to do something or for someone else to do something
'Can I bring a friend?' 'Sure, no problem.'b) used after someone has said thank you or said that they are sorry
'Thanks for all your help.' 'No problem!'the (only) problem is (that) ...spoken used before saying what the main difficulty in a situation is
The problem is, there isn't enough time.that's your/his etc problemspoken used to say rudely that someone else is responsible for dealing with a situation, not you
If you miss the train, that's your problem.it's/that's not my problemspoken used to say rudely that you are not responsible for dealing with a particular problem and are not willing to help
'We've got a serious staffing shortage.' 'That's not my problem.'What's your/his etc problem?spoken informal used when you think that someone is behaving in a way that is unreasonable
Do you have a problem with that?spoken informal used to ask someone why they seem to disagree with you, in a way that shows that you are annoyed
problem child/family/drinker etca child etc whose behaviour causes problems for other people
COLLOCATES for sense 1have a problembig/serious/major problemcause a problemdeal with/sort out a problemsolve/fix/overcome a problemaddress/tackle a problempose/present a probema problem arises/occurs/comes up (=it happens)
economic/financial problemspersonal problem (=a problem in someone's private life)
money/family problemsdrink/drug problem (=when someone drinks too much alcohol or takes too many drugs)
thorny/knotty problem (=a difficult problem)
GRAMMARYou can say that you
have a problem or
have problems :
We have a slight problem. |
Are you having problems with your parents?!! You can
have problems doing something. Do not use 'to do' :
I'm having a problem finishing (NOT a problem to finish) this. |
He had problems finding (NOT problems to find) a job.!! Do not say 'the problem why'. To explain why there is a problem, use
the reason why :
The reason why people don't shop there is that it costs too much.!! Do not say 'problems happen'. Use the verbs
arise or
occur :
Problems start to arise (NOT start to happen) when people don't keep up their payments.