English Vocabulary for Expressing Change

(Photo Credit: Chris Lawton, UK)

In this lesson, you will learn how to use six English verbs to talk about change. 


VARY 

If something varies, it changes depending on the situation. 

• Prices vary widely from store to store. 
• The language I speak varies a lot depending on who I'm talking to. 
• The seasons in Sweden vary a lot from north to south. 
• The weather in my country varies a lot throughout the year. It's difficult to say with city has the most unpredictable weather. 
• My taste in music varies greatly, but I usually prefer listening to mainstream music. 

SHIFT 

To change attention or a situation  

• When students have a good knowledge of grammar, they should shift their attention towards conversational English. 
• Retailers like Zara and H&M have shifted their focus towards fast response to changing fashion trends and consumer demand. 

ADAPT 

To change your behaviour in order to deal more successfully with a new situation. 

• I found it hard to adapt to my new school. 
• When I moved to Korea, I could easily adapt to the culture because I've been exposed to it previously and I have a few Korean friends, too. 

To change something to make it suitable for a different purpose.  

• These recipes can easily be adapted to suit vegans and vegetarians. 
• The lesson materials can easily be adapted for use with lower level students. [adapt something for someone] 

SWITCH 

When you change from doing or using one thing to doing or using another. 

• I speak more than one language so I switch from one to the next depending on who I talk to. 
• I can switch easily from Chinese to English. [switch from something to something] 
• I worked as a banking consultant before switching to marketing. [switch to something] ​

To replace one thing with another, or exchange things. 

• It took me a long time to switch to a bigger car. 
• We must have switched our notebooks by mistake. 

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ALTER 

To change, or to make someone or something change 

• Her new hairstyle has altered her appearance, making her look younger. 
• You can alter the whole appearance of a room by painting the walls in lighter colours. 
• We need to alter the way we see English as either British or American, as it's obviously an international language. 

BECOME 

To change and to start to be something different 

• The weather is becoming warmer. (= is getting) 
• English has become the most important language in the world. 
• She became more confident when her spoken English started to improve. 
• I think customer service has become more important than the product itself. 

Exercise 

Complete the gaps with the correct form of the verbs below. One of the verbs can be used twice. 

vary - shift - adapt - switch - alter - become (2x) 

1. U.S. fast food chains typically have different menus in other countries because they try to .............................. to local tastes. 
2. German .............................. increasingly popular in South America. 
3. You can always .............................. your clothes so that they aren't too big. 
4. I try to .............................. my attention towards learning vocabulary that I will actually need in conversations. 
5. The weather can be quite changeable and it can .............................. between sunshine and rain. 
6. I .............................. from coffee to green tea only for a week. 
7. I .............................. dependent on caffeine. 

Answers:  

1. adapt; 2. is becoming / has become; 3. alter; 4. shift; 5. vary; 6. switched; 7. have become; 



Other lessons: 
Confusing words: Come vs. Go 
Confusing words: Bring vs. Take 
Confusing words in English: Famous vs. Popular 
Confusing words in English: Crowded vs. Congested 

Lessons with English collocations: 
English Lesson: Collocations for Leisure 
English Lesson: Collocations for Feelings 
English Lesson: Collocations for Describing a Conversation 

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