INDEX:
1. method/plan/system
2. medicine/treatment
3. always effective
4. not effective
5. to prevent something from being effective
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ SUCCEED/SUCCESSFUL
↑ FAIL
↑ USELESS
↑ PURPOSE
↑ EFFECT/AFFECT
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1. method/plan/system
▷ effective /ɪˈfektɪv/ [adjective]
a method, system etc that is effective succeeds in achieving the result that you want :
▪ The advertisement was simple but remarkably effective.
▪ Our training programme covers a range of effective management techniques.
an effective way of doing something/to do something
▪ There are many effective ways of using videos in language teaching.
highly effective
▪ The new system has proved to be a highly effective way of extending trading hours.
effectively [adverb]
▪ Children have to learn how to communicate effectively.
effectiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ Surveys were conducted in eight cities to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
▷ work /wɜːʳk/ [intransitive verb]
if a plan or method works, it produces the result that you want :
▪ ‘I can’t open the jar.’ ‘Try putting it in hot water. That sometimes works.’
work well
▪ The recipe works just as well if you cook the fish in the microwave.
work with somebody
make someone react in the way you want
▪ That type of sales talk doesn’t work with me.
work like magic/like a charm/like a dream
have exactly the result that you want, especially when this is surprising
▪ I bought a bottle of stain remover, and it worked like magic.
▷ have/achieve the desired effect /ˌhæv, əˌtʃiːv ðə dɪˌzaɪəʳd ɪˈfekt/ [verb phrase]
to produce the result or effect that is intended :
▪ You may have to take two pills in order to achieve the desired effect.
have the desired effect of doing something
▪ The meetings had the desired effect of driving home the urgent need for change.
▷ successful /səkˈsesf ə l/ [adjective]
an action, or piece of work that is successful produces very good results :
▪ Their new advertising campaign has been very successful.
▪ Did you have a successful shopping trip?
▪ It was one of the President’s most successful speeches.
highly successful
▪ Freire introduced highly successful literacy programs in Brazil.
▷ do the job/do the trick /ˌduː ðə ˈdʒɒbǁˈ-dʒɑːb, duː ðə ˈtrɪk/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this about a tool or method you think will be effective :
▪ An electric saw will do the job at twice the speed.
▪ Exercise and a low-calorie diet should do the trick.
▷ work wonders /ˌwɜʳk ˈwʌndəʳz/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be extremely effective in dealing with a difficult problem or situation :
▪ Many elderly people need to get out more, and often a new hobby works wonders.
work wonders for
▪ The team’s recent successes have worked wonders for their morale.
▷ make a difference /ˌmeɪk ə ˈdɪf ə rəns/ [verb phrase]
if the way you do something or the methods or people you use make a difference, they make something much more effective and successful :
▪ If you’re a young energetic college graduate who wants to make a difference in the world of media, this is the job for you!
make all the difference
▪ The kind of technology you choose will make all the difference to the success of your business.
2. medicine/treatment
▷ effective /ɪˈfektɪv/ [adjective]
if a medicine, treatment etc is effective, it achieves the result that you want :
▪ Antibiotics are only effective if you finish the whole course of treatment.
effective in doing something
▪ Doctors soon realized that this drug was also effective in relieving the symptoms of arthritis.
effective against
▪ Penicillin can be taken in various forms and is effective against a wide range of infections.
highly effective
▪ Malarone is a new drug that has already proved highly effective.
effectiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ Recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of current AIDS treatments.
▷ work /wɜːʳk/ [intransitive verb]
if a medicine, treatment etc works, it has the effect that you want it to have :
▪ I’ve tried several different diets, but none of them seem to work.
▪ It’s too late for surgery, but chemotherapy might just work.
▷ powerful/potent /ˈpaʊəʳf ə l, ˈpəʊt ə nt/ [adjective]
a medicine or drug that is powerful or potent is very strong and works very quickly so that it should be used very carefully :
▪ Little is known about the long-term effects of powerful drugs such as Duromine.
▪ Nicotine is a powerful appetite suppressant.
▪ Alcohol is much less potent than opium, because it works in an entirely different way.
▷ miracle drug/cure /ˈmɪrək ə l ˌdrʌg, ˌkjʊəʳ/ [countable noun]
a drug or type of treatment that will completely cure a painful or serious illness - use this especially when you do not really think that such a drug or treatment exists :
▪ Unfortunately there’s no miracle cure for a hangover.
▪ Some alternative practitioners seem to regard the herb as some kind of miracle drug, but conventional doctors are warning them to be careful.
3. always effective
▷ reliable /rɪˈlaɪəb ə l/ [adjective]
▪ The system is new, but so far it seems to be reliable.
a reliable way/method etc of doing something
▪ Eating sensibly and taking regular exercise is a fairly reliable method of losing weight.
▪ In Africa, cellular phones are often the only reliable way of communicating.
reliability /rɪˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪti, rɪˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The advantages of the computerized process are speed and reliability.
▷ surefire /ˈʃʊəʳfaɪəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
certain to be effective or successful :
▪ Thursday night’s line-up includes such surefire attractions as ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Friends’.
a surefire way to do something/of doing something
▪ I know a surefire way to get a car started on a freezing winter morning.
a surefire solution to something
▪ There’s no surefire solution to the problem of improving the company’s performance.
a surefire recipe for success/disaster
something that is certain to be successful or not successful
▪ Going on holiday with my parents would be a surefire recipe for disaster.
▷ foolproof /ˈfuːlpruːf/ [adjective]
a method, system, or plan that is foolproof is always effective, because it is simple to understand and operate, and cannot go wrong :
▪ I thought this method was foolproof until four customer orders went missing.
▪ Each article goes through a foolproof system of checking which ensures that there are no mistakes in the final text.
a foolproof way to do something/of doing something
▪ There’s no foolproof way to judge whether someone is the right person for the job.
▷ infallible /ɪnˈfælɪb ə l, ɪnˈfæləb ə l/ [adjective]
a method or system that is infallible always produces the right result and never goes wrong :
▪ Banks claim their cash-dispensing computers are infallible.
an infallible way to do something/of doing something
▪ There is no infallible way of predicting exactly what the weather will be like.
infallibly [adverb]
▪ Even experts were not able to distinguish infallibly between the two artists’ work.
▷ never fails/can’t fail/works every time /nevəʳ ˈfeɪlz, ˌkɑːnt ˈfeɪlǁˌkænt, ˌwɜːʳks evri ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this to tell someone that a method is always effective, especially when you have used it successfully before :
▪ It’s a very simple technique, but it never fails.
▪ If I’m having trouble sleeping, having a hot bath at night works every time.
▪ You should try this recipe. It’s so easy that you can’t fail.
4. not effective
▷ not effective also ineffective /nɒt ɪˈfektɪv, ˌɪnɪˈfektɪv/ [adjective]
having very little effect, so that it does not achieve what it is meant to achieve :
▪ Studies have shown that this is not effective as a teaching technique.
▪ The German tactics were so ineffective that Brazil had complete control in midfield.
ineffective in doing something
▪ The government’s approach has been ineffective in reducing unemployment.
ineffectiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ the ineffectiveness of the prison system
▷ useless /ˈjuːsləs/ [adjective] informal
not having any useful effect and not helping you get the result you want :
▪ This book is useless! I can’t find any of the information I need.
▪ I reminded myself that worrying is a useless activity.
useless against
▪ Antibiotics are useless against viral infections such as influenza.
it is useless to do something
▪ Jenny decided to say nothing. It was useless to argue.
worse than useless
used to emphasize that something has no useful effect and may make a situation worse
▪ Of course we need to test children’s ability, but some of these exams are worse than useless.
▷ be a waste of time /biː ə ˌweɪst əv ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this when you have been trying to do something, but you realize that what you are doing is never likely to be effective :
▪ This whole project’s a waste of time, if you ask me.
be a big/complete waste of time
▪ I came to the conclusion that therapy was a complete waste of time.
▷ not work /nɒt ˈwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase]
if something does not work, it does not produce the result that you want :
▪ My doctor recommended several different creams for dry skin, but none of them worked.
▪ If stain remover doesn’t work, you’d better send your dress to the dry cleaners.
▪ I tried ignoring his unpleasant remarks, but it didn’t work.
▷ have no effect /hæv ˌnəʊ ɪˈfekt/ [verb phrase]
if something has no effect, it produces no results at all or is completely unsuccessful :
▪ The drugs had no effect.
▪ Paul realized that his words were having no effect; Karen was not going to change her mind.
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb not usually in progressive]
if an attempt to do something fails, you do not achieve the result that you want :
▪ My attempt to lose weight failed completely.
▪ Our plan to go into business failed when the bank refused to lend us enough money.
▷ be dead in the water /biː ˌded ɪn ðə ˈwɔːtəʳ/ [verb phrase]
never likely to be effective - used especially by newspapers about political activities, plans etc :
▪ They’re saying that the democratic campaign is dead in the water just two days after its launch.
▪ I think you should admit that the government’s plans for higher education are now dead in the water.
5. to prevent something from being effective
▷ neutralize also neutralise British /ˈnjuːtrəlaɪzǁˈnuː-/ [transitive verb]
to prevent something from being effective or stop the effect that it was having :
▪ Congress can try to neutralize new legislation by modifying it or delaying it.
▪ Recent events have done much to neutralize the influence of the right-wing.
▷ cancel out/negate /ˌkæns ə l ˈaʊt, nɪˈgeɪt/ []
to prevent something from being effective by having an equal but opposite effect :
▪ Increases in rent cancel out any rise in wages.
▪ He treated me so badly at the end, it cancelled out the good times we’d had.
▪ The side effects of the drug negate any possible benefit.
cancel each other out
▪ The two arguments simply cancel each other out.