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run smoothly — work well

collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

to operate or happen without problems or difficulties

Say it like a native

Textbook The operation proceeded without any impediments whatsoever.

Native Everything ran smoothly.

'Run smoothly' is the natural phrase; 'proceeded without impediments' is bureaucratic.

Pattern: subject + run smoothly

In use

  • The meeting ran smoothly because everyone was well prepared.daily life
  • In my opinion, good communication is essential for a project to run smoothly.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ The event ran smooth.

✓ The event ran smoothly.

Use the adverb 'smoothly' after 'run', not the adjective 'smooth'.

Common collocations

  • run smoothly + subject — everything, the event, the system, operations

Don't confuse it

Do not confuse with 'run fast,' which means to move quickly, not to work without problems.

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