Grammar fix
natural disaster
earthquake, flood, etc.
A sudden and severe event caused by nature, like an earthquake, flood, hurricane, or wildfire, that can cause a lot of damage or harm to people and places.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The city was badly damaged by a natural disaster last year when a huge earthquake struck.daily life
- In my country, we sometimes experience natural disasters like typhoons and landslides, which can disrupt daily life and cause serious problems for communities.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: natural disaster (noun phrase); a/an [natural disaster]
WrongA natural disaster happened the town.
RightA natural disaster hit the town.
A disaster HITS/strikes a place — it doesn't 'happen' a place.
Patternnatural disaster (noun phrase); a/an [natural disaster]
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Catastrophic natural event' is news-formal; 'natural disaster' is the set phrase.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
natural disasternatural disasterhit byin the wake ofrespond to
Don't confuse it
Do not confuse with 'accident' (which is usually caused by people) or 'emergency' (which can be any urgent situation).