grammar · formal

be plagued by + noun

/bi pleɪɡd baɪ/be PLAGUED by

Band 7+task2speaking

suffer a lot from something bad that continues to affect someone or something

Examples

“The airline was plagued by delays last summer.”

“Many cities are plagued by traffic congestion.”

“The project was plagued by funding problems.”

Band 8 sentence

“Despite investment, the rural healthcare system remains plagued by staff shortages and inadequate facilities.”

Collocations

  • be plagued by + chronic/serious + noun (problems / shortages / delays)
  • be plagued by + persistent + noun

Common mistakes

is plagued with→is plagued by

plagued of→plagued by

Say it for a higher band

5is plagued with→6suffers from→7+is plagued by

Synonyms

be beset by

suffer from

Easily confused

be beset by

“The region was beset by droughts for several years.”

Related words

had been + past participlebe + past participleto have been + past participlebe used to + Vbe + past participle + by + agentnoun + past participle (reduced relative clause)be seen as + noun / adjectivehave/has been + past participle

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