Understanding ‘Compensate’: Boost Your IELTS Score
Learn the meaning, usage, and common mistakes of the word ‘compensate’ to improve your IELTS performance. This video covers its definition, synonyms, antonyms, and practical examples to help you use it confidently in your exam.
Imagine you’re at a job interview, and the interviewer asks about your salary expectations. You hesitate, wondering if you should mention a high figure.
What if they can’t afford it? Don’t worry, you can always say they’re welcome to compensate you in other ways.
But what exactly does compensate mean, and how can you use it effectively in your IELTS exam? Let’s find out.
Word type: Compensate is primarily used as a verb.
Meaning: To compensate means to provide something, usually money, to make up for a loss, damage, or inconvenience.
It can also mean to counterbalance or make up for a deficiency or undesirable situation.
Word history:
The word compensate comes from the Latin word compensare, which means to weigh against or balance. It entered the English language in the early seventeenth century.
Antonyms: Some antonyms for compensate include deprive, withhold, and deny.
Synonyms: Synonyms for compensate include reimburse, recompense, remunerate, and make amends.
Examples use in sentences: The company agreed to compensate employees for working overtime. The airline compensated passengers for the delayed flight with meal vouchers.
He tried to compensate for his lack of experience with enthusiasm and hard work. The government will compensate farmers for crop losses due to the drought.
Common errors in use: One common mistake is confusing compensate with complement. While compensate means to make up for something, complement means to add to or enhance something.
Another error is using compensate without the correct preposition. We usually say compensate for something or compensate someone for something.
To wrap up, remember that compensate is a versatile word that can help you express ideas about balancing, making up for losses, or providing payment.
Using it correctly in your IELTS speaking or writing tasks can demonstrate your vocabulary range and help you achieve that 6.5 band score.
Keep practicing with this word, and soon you’ll be using it with confidence.
