Effort
Is the determination to do something. It can be a physical effort or a mental effort. It is also the result of the attempt of doing something.
- We put a lot of effort into preparing for the event.
- It took a great effort to build the house on time.
There are many collocations for effort, here are some of the most widely used.
1. Considerable effort
Means that something was particularly or very hard. If something takes a considerable effort it is something that takes a lot more effort than usual.
- It takes a considerable effort to organize the hospital.
- He made a considerable effort to show that he was sorry.
2. Hard Effort
Also means that something is very difficult.
- It will be too hard of an effort to do things your way.
- Getting this done was a hard effort.
3. Constant Effort
Means that the effort is ongoing. It doesn’t stop.
- It takes a constant effort to raise children.
- I don’t have enough time to put in the constant effort that it will take to complete the task.
4. Extra Effort
Means that a task will take or has taken more effort than normal or what was originally expected.
- It will take an extra effort to cook dinner tonight.
- It shouldn’t’ be a big deal, it won’t take any extra effort.
5. Minimal Effort
Means that it takes very little work or effort to do something.
- I want to do something that will take minimal effort.
- The effort that you put into your work was minimal.
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6. Wasted Effort
Refers to something being done for no reason. That could be because the effort wasn’t needed, or it could be because the effort was made, but didn’t make a difference.
- All of the work we did, didn’t affect anything it was a wasted effort.
- Some people believe deleting emails is a wasted effort, but I think it’s necessary.
7. Physical Effort
Means that the effort is physical and not mental. A physical effort takes strength.
- Hiking up the mountain was such a physical effort.
- What kind of physical effort will that take?
8. Mental Effort
Refers to something that does not take physical strength, but intellectual strength. In other words it takes a lot of thinking to get a task accomplished.
- Learning a language takes mental effort.
- You won’t get far in school without putting in a lot of mental effort.
9. Amount of Effort
Refers to how much effort it takes to get something done. It speaks to how hard or easy something is. This phrase is often used to say that something took a lot of effort or to ask how much effort something took.
- It took an enormous amount of effort to finish on time.
- What amount of effort do you think will be needed to get all of this done?
10. Effort Needed/ Effort Demanded
Refers to how much it takes to get something done.
- I don’t have the effort that is needed to continue to perform my job.
- I see that there is a lot of needed effort to clean this house.
- How much effort will be demanded of me?
- My boss demanded so much effort that I decided to quit my job.
11. Required Effort or Effort Required
Refers to how much effort is necessary. If less effort is given then it will not be enough.
- This is the necessary effort to finish the course.
- There is a lot of effort required to graduate with this degree.
12. Effort taken
Refers to the amount of effort that has been taken to accomplish a task. In this case the effort has already been made.
- There was a lot of effort taken by a lot of people to get this done.
- Some of the team members have taken very little effort to get the project done.
13. Make an Effort
Refers to trying to get something done. When someone makes an effort, they try to do something or they are being told to try to do something.
- Thank you for making so much effort.
- You really need to make an effort.
14. Spare no Effort
Means to put in all the effort that is necessary. In this case one does not worry about trying too hard. This is the opposite of being lazy. Someone who is sparing no effort is working very hard.
- I know this has to get done right away, I will spare no effort.
- Wow, this is amazing you clearly spared no effort.
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