great effort — hard work
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
A lot of hard work or energy put into doing something, especially when trying to achieve a good result.
Say it like a native
Textbook She expended a considerable amount of exertion on the project.
Native She put a lot of effort into the project.
Natives 'put effort into' something; 'expend exertion' is unnatural.
Pattern: make/put in/show great effort; with possessive (her/his/their great effort)
In use
- She made a great effort to finish her project on time.daily life
- In my opinion, students who show great effort in their studies are more likely to succeed.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She did a great effort.
✓ She made a great effort. / put in a lot of effort.
You MAKE an effort or PUT effort in — you don't 'do' an effort.
Common collocations
make/put a great effort— make, put in, into, considerable
Don't confuse it
'Great effort' is more positive than just 'effort' and shows you really notice the hard work.