Measure Collocation for IELTS: A List to Boost Your Score

Kasturika Samanta

7 min read

Updated On Oct 06, 2025

Strengthen your writing and speaking skills with advanced measure collocations for IELTS. Master their meanings, explore real examples, and practice effectively to boost vocabulary range, fluency, and coherence for achieving a higher IELTS band score.

Lists of Measure Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score
Notes
Measure Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises
Answer Keys for Practice Exercises Measure Collocations

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Using correct measure collocations for IELTS will not only make your English sound more precise and formal, but will also help you achieve a higher Lexical Resource score. Therefore, it is important to learn the top important collocations for IELTS related to the word to avoid usage errors in writing or while speaking.

In this blog, we will explore lists of measure collocations for IELTS, divided into four key categories with meaning and examples. Moreover, we have prepared a few practice exercises related to the given collocations to help you master what you have learnt here.

Lists of Measure Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score

Perfect for essays on government action, public health, climate change, or social policy, measure collocations for IELTS often appears in formal or academic contexts and helps you sound analytical when suggesting solutions in IELTS Speaking Part 3.

In the following tables will provide various measure collocations for IELTS, along with their usage examples.

Verb + Measures

These measure collocations show how people or authorities act when dealing with problems. They are common in IELTS Writing Task 2 essays discussing solutions or policies.

Verb + Measures	Meaning	Example Sentence
Take measures	to act to achieve or prevent something	Governments must take measures to reduce plastic waste.
Adopt measures	to accept and start using specific actions	Many schools have adopted new measures for online safety.
Introduce measures	to bring in new rules or strategies	The government introduced strict measures to control traffic congestion.
Announce measures	to officially declare upcoming actions	New measures to combat inflation were announced yesterday.
Implement measures	to put into effect	The health department implemented preventive measures during the pandemic.
Oppose measures	to disagree with or refuse certain actions	Some citizens opposed the new tax measures.
Consider measures	to think about taking actions	The council is considering measures to improve recycling.
Start measures	to begin taking actions	The school started new measures to enhance student safety.
Refuse measures	to reject or not accept certain actions	The committee refused the proposed cost-cutting measures.
Need / Want measures	to express necessity or demand	Stronger measures are needed to reduce crime rates.
Adapt measures	to modify actions to fit new situations	Countries adapted safety measures to suit local needs.

Types of Measures

Different adjectives are used with ‘measures’ to show the level, purpose, or urgency of the action taken.

Adjective + Measures	Meaning	Example Sentence
Desperate measures	extreme actions taken in difficult situations	In times of crisis, governments often resort to desperate measures.
Half measures	incomplete or insufficient actions	Half measures will not solve global warming effectively.
Preventive measures	actions taken to stop something before it happens	Vaccination is one of the most effective preventive measures against disease.
Precautionary measures	steps taken to avoid possible danger	The school took precautionary measures during the flu outbreak.
Emergency measures	immediate actions for critical situations	The authorities introduced emergency measures to control flooding.
Safety measures	steps to ensure security or protection	Safety measures are essential on construction sites.
Temporary measures	short-term actions	Temporary measures were taken to stabilize the economy.
Drastic measures	very strong or extreme steps	Drastic measures are sometimes necessary to control population growth.

Measures to + Verb

This pattern shows the purpose of taking the measures — what goal or result they aim to achieve.

Measures to + Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
Measures to control	steps to manage or regulate	Measures to control pollution are urgently required.
Measures to prevent	steps to stop something from happening	The government took measures to prevent illegal hunting.
Measures to save	actions to protect or conserve	Strong measures are needed to save endangered species.
Measures to protect	steps to ensure safety	Countries are taking measures to protect personal data online.
Measures to improve	actions aimed at enhancement	New measures to improve healthcare services have been launched.
Measures to reduce	steps to lower the amount or effect of something	Measures to reduce plastic consumption are being implemented worldwide.
Measures to support	actions to assist or strengthen	Economic measures to support small businesses are vital during recessions.

Common Expressions with ‘Measure’

These are natural phrases and idiomatic uses of ‘measure’ that appear in both spoken and written English.

Expression	Meaning	Example Sentence
Take drastic measures	Act very strongly to solve a problem	The government took drastic measures to fight corruption.
In equal measure	To an equal extent	Success in IELTS depends on hard work and confidence in equal measure.
Safety measures in place	Existing security steps	All safety measures are in place at the airport.
Beyond measure	Extremely or greatly	Her contribution to education is valuable beyond measure.
A measure of success	Some degree of success	The policy achieved a measure of success in reducing pollution.
As a temporary measure	For a short-term solution	Online learning was introduced as a temporary measure during lockdown.

Notes

Note the expressions describing the effects of measures:
- Measures to reduce costs are beginning to take effect
- The measures will affect the entire population.
Note the expressions that describe the purpose of measures:
- These new measures are designed to close / are intended to close / are aimed at closing the gap between the rich and the poor.
Note the difference between safety measures and security measures:
- These new safety measures mean that more people will survive road traffic accidents.
- The latest security measures at Heathrow are due to a new bomb scare.
A measure can also be an amount of liquid:
- James’s measures are on the generous side!

Measure Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises

Given are a few exercises that you will have to complete to assist you in improving your understanding and your ability to use measure collocations for IELTS.

Exercise A: Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

The government needs to__________ all necessary measures to stop the influx of asylum seekers. (adopt / adapt)
Immediate measures need to be__________ to protect the thousands of historic buildings under threat of demolition. (taken / got)
New measures are being __________ to try and ease traffic congestion in Birmingham city centre. (started / introduced)
The government is__________ measures to restrict the sale of cigarettes to adults over 21. (considering / thinking of)
In his speech last night the Prime Minister __________ new measures to combat organised crime. (announced / declared)
Urgent measures are__________ to contain the outbreak of the disease before it spreads. (needed / wanted)
I voted against because I __________ these measures on principle. I don’t think anybody should be made to work on a Sunday if they don’t want to. (oppose / refuse)

Exercise B: Use these words in the sentences below. Then underline the full expressions.

temporary safety

security unpopular

At times of high inflation, __________ measures are sometimes necessary to get the economy back on an even keel. Such measures generally lose the government votes.
When the rain started, I had to cover the roof with a plastic sheet as a __________ measure until we got the roofers to come and fix the leak.
One main drawback of improved __________ measures in cars is that they can encourage some people to think they are safe, so they drive faster.
The introduction of identity cards is just one of the new__________ measures our company has taken this year.

Exercise C: Use these words in the sentences below.

desperate half

preventative precautionary

His financial difficulties have forced him to take some really__________ measures. He’s had to sell his house and car to pay off his debts.
Floods will become an increasing problem in this area unless__________ measures are taken now.
During yesterday’s protest march through the streets of Paris, police in riot gear were present as a __________ measure.
__________ measures never work. You’ve got to do things properly or not at all.

Exercise D: Complete the following sentences with these verbs and underline the adjective collocation in each sentence which means ‘strong’.

control prevent save

Tougher measures are needed to__________ drugs being smuggled into prisons.
Stringent measures have been introduced in our office to __________ on electricity and heating costs.
The government have taken drastic measures to__________ public spending.

Answer Keys for Practice Exercises Measure Collocations

Ex A:

adopt 2. taken 3. introduced 4. considering 5. announced 6. needed 7. oppose

Ex B:

1 unpopular 2. temporary 3. safety 4. security

Ex C:

1 desperate 2. preventative 3. precautionary 4. Half

Ex D:

prevent 2. save 3. control

strong = tough, stringent, drastic

To conclude, learning these measure collocations for IELTS makes your speech more natural, like a native speaker and your writing more professional. So, master these collocations will not only help you write essays more effectively but also allow you to speak about real-world problems naturally, giving you the vocabulary power to reach and IELTS band score of 7 and above.

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