call for — require
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to need or make something necessary in a situation
Say it like a native
Textbook This situation necessitates a great deal of patience.
Native This situation calls for a lot of patience.
'Call for' is the natural verb for what a situation requires; 'necessitates' is formal.
Pattern: call for + noun/gerund
In use
- This job calls for a lot of patience.daily life
- In my opinion, dealing with stressful situations calls for good communication skills.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The recipe calls for of two eggs.
✓ The recipe calls for two eggs.
'Call for' takes the object directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
call for + what's needed— patience, two eggs, a celebration, action
Don't confuse it
'Call for' (require) is different from 'call for' (publicly ask for something).
Related
- call for (publicly ask for) — Another meaning of 'call for' is 'publicly ask for'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.