📝 Daily Short Practice
🎯 Vocabulary Goal
Practice using advanced collocations to discuss threats, concerns, and risk reduction in everyday and professional contexts.
📚 Words & Phrases
| Word or phrase | Simple meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
pose a threat |
to create a danger or risk | The new virus variant poses a threat to global health. |
|
address a concern |
to deal with or respond to a worry or issue | The manager addressed the team's concern about the deadline. |
|
mitigate a risk |
to make a risk less serious or severe | Installing security cameras helped mitigate the risk of theft. |
🔍 See It in Context
Planning for Potential Problems
During the meeting, the project lead pointed out that delayed deliveries could pose a threat to the launch date. To keep the timeline on track, the team needed to address this concern immediately. They agreed to mitigate the risk by sourcing backup suppliers and monitoring shipments closely. This approach reassured everyone that potential problems were under control. Ultimately, a proactive response helped reduce anxiety about the project's success.
💡 Notice the Pattern
Difference in Collocation Structure
Note that 'pose a threat' uses 'pose' followed by 'a' and a noun, while both 'address a concern' and 'mitigate a risk' require the article 'a' plus a noun. Also, 'address' focuses on responding to a worry, whereas 'mitigate' involves reducing the severity of a risk.
- The faulty equipment poses a threat to user safety.
- We must address a concern raised by the clients.
💬 Useful Examples
- The outdated software poses a threat to data security.
- It's important to address any concern employees have about the policy changes.
- Installing fire alarms can mitigate the risk of severe damage in case of a fire.
- Environmental pollution poses a serious threat to marine life.
✏️ Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks
1.
The sudden storm ____ to the outdoor event (is posing / pose / poses a threat).
2.
We need to ____ a concern about the safety protocols immediately (address / addressing / addresses).
3.
Using strong passwords helps ____ the risk of hacking (mitigates / mitigate / mitigating).
4.
The financial crisis ____ a threat to small businesses nationwide (posed / is posing / poses).
5.
The consultant suggested ways to ____ the risk of project failure (mitigate / to mitigate / mitigating).
🔗 Exercise 2 – Matching
1.
Pose a threat
2.
Address a concern
3.
Mitigate a risk
4.
The new policy poses a threat to employee privacy.
5.
They addressed the concern about the budget overruns.
✅ Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice
1.
Which collocation means to make a risk less severe?
2.
If a problem creates danger, which collocation fits best?
3.
What would you do if you want to respond to someone's worry?
4.
Which sentence uses the correct collocation for reducing risk?
5.
Choose the correct collocation: The broken pipe ____ to flooding in the building.
📝 Use It Yourself
Write 2–3 sentences describing a situation where you had to address a concern or mitigate a risk. Use one of the collocations from the lesson.
Example:
Last year, the company had to address a concern about data security. They installed new firewalls to mitigate the risk of a cyberattack.
🎙️ Speaking Practice
Practice these sentences aloud.
Say:
The new policy poses a threat to our privacy.
Say:
We must address the concern about the budget immediately.
Say:
Installing updated software helped mitigate the risk of errors.
Ask:
Can you explain how to address a concern in a team meeting?
🔎 Answer Key
Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks
1. poses a threat
2. address
3. mitigate
4. poses
5. mitigate
Exercise 2 – Matching
1. b – Create a danger or risk
2. c – Respond to a worry or issue
3. d – Reduce the seriousness of a risk
4. e – The policy creates a possible danger to privacy.
5. a – They dealt with worries related to exceeding the budget.
Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice
1. Mitigate a risk
2. Pose a threat
3. Address a concern
4. This plan will mitigate a risk of theft.
5. poses a threat