Understanding ‘Rough’: Key IELTS Vocabulary Explained
Learn about the word ‘rough’ for your IELTS preparation. This video covers its meanings as an adjective and noun, usage examples, common mistakes, and related words to boost your vocabulary and improve your band score.
Imagine running your hand over a piece of sandpaper. That gritty, uneven feeling you experience is what we call rough.
Today, we are going to learn about the word rough, an important vocabulary item for your IELTS preparation.
Word type. Rough can be used as both an adjective and a noun in English. Meaning. As an adjective, rough means not smooth or even.
It can describe a surface that feels bumpy or coarse when you touch it. Rough can also mean approximate or not exact, like a rough estimate.
When talking about people or actions, it can mean not gentle or careful. As a noun, a rough is a first attempt or an unfinished version of something, like a rough draft of an essay.
Word history. The word rough comes from Old English and has been used for over a thousand years to describe uneven or harsh things.
Antonyms. Some opposites of rough include smooth, gentle, and exact. Synonyms. Words with similar meanings to rough are coarse, uneven, and bumpy.
Examples use in sentences. Here are some ways to use rough in sentences. The cat’s tongue feels rough when it licks your hand.
We made a rough plan for our holiday, but the details are not fixed yet. The sea was very rough during the storm, making the boat trip uncomfortable.
Common errors in use. One common mistake is confusing rough with tough. While rough usually describes texture or lack of gentleness, tough means strong or difficult.
For example, you would say This meat is tough to chew, not This meat is rough to chew. To sum up, rough is a versatile word that can describe textures, estimates, or behavior.
It can be both an adjective and a noun. Remember to use it when talking about uneven surfaces, approximate numbers, or situations that are not gentle or careful.
Practicing with this word will help improve your IELTS vocabulary and boost your band score.
