contributing factor
A fact or condition that plays a part in bringing about a particular result.
writing-task-2readingspeakingHealthEnvironmentWork and economy
IELTS use
Useful in Writing Task 2 to discuss multiple causes of social or environmental problems, and in Speaking when explaining reasons for everyday trends.
Examples
- A sedentary lifestyle is a major contributing factor to the rise in childhood obesity.
- Poor urban planning is a contributing factor to the housing shortage in many cities.
- Lack of affordable public transport is a contributing factor in social exclusion.
Collocations
- a major contributing factor
- Air pollution is a major contributing factor to respiratory diseases.
- a key contributing factor
- The key contributing factor to the company's success was its investment in training.
- a contributing factor to
- High sugar consumption is a contributing factor to type 2 diabetes.
- identify a contributing factor
- Researchers tried to identify the contributing factors behind the decline in bee populations.
Word family
- Noun
- contribution
- Verb
- contribute
- Adjective
- contributory
Paraphrases
- a causal factor: More formal and often used in academic writing.
- one of the reasons for: Simpler and common in IELTS Speaking.
- an element that helps cause: A clear, less idiomatic explanation.
Common mistakes
- Lack of exercise is a contributing factor for heart disease. to Lack of exercise is a contributing factor to heart disease.. The correct preposition after "factor" is "to" or "in", not "for".
- The contributing factor for the accident was fog. to The main contributing factor to the accident was fog.. It sounds more natural to use a modifier such as "main" or "major", and "to" is the standard preposition.
- He contributed a big factor to the project. to He was a contributing factor to the project's success.. A person cannot "contribute a factor"; you can say the person is a contributing factor or that they made a contribution.