common sense — practical judgment
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
The natural ability to make good decisions and behave in a sensible way in everyday situations.
Say it like a native
Textbook One should exercise prudent judgment in such matters.
Native Just use a bit of common sense.
'Exercise prudent judgment' is formal; 'use common sense' is what people actually say.
Pattern: noun (uncountable); have/use/show common sense
In use
- It’s just common sense to lock your doors when you leave the house.daily life
- In my opinion, common sense is more important than academic knowledge in many everyday situations, because it helps people solve problems quickly.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He has a good common sense.
✓ He's got good common sense.
Uncountable — no 'a'.
Common collocations
common sense— use, good, lack, basic
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'knowledge' or 'intelligence'; common sense is about practical decisions, not facts or academic ability.