verb · informal
straighten
/ˈstreɪ.tən/STRAIGHT·en
Band 6-7speakingtask2
to make something straight or to make something tidy/ordered
Examples
“He straightened the picture frame on the wall.”
“She tried to straighten out the misunderstanding between them.”
“Please straighten your hair before the party.”
Band 8 sentence
“If we can straighten out the funding arrangements early, the project will avoid unnecessary delays.”
Collocations
- straighten out a problem
- straighten hair
- straighten the room
Word family
straighten verb (base)straightens verb (3rd sing.)straightened verb (past/p.p.)straightening verb/adj (gerund)straight adj/adv
Common mistakes
He straightened up the problem yesterday.→He straightened out the problem yesterday.
She straight the photo on the wall.→She straightened the photo on the wall.
Say it for a higher band
5fix→6tidy→7+straighten
Synonyms
tidy
sort out
Easily confused
tidy
“He needs to tidy his desk before guests arrive.”
sort out
“They sorted out the scheduling problem quickly.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -en
Learn it with its set