ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lack of

prep. phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford General-service

prep. phr.. a situation where you do not have enough of something or have none at all.

prep. phr.. a state of being without or having an insufficient quantity of something; functions as a complex noun phrase head or prepositional complement.


SIMPLE

The project failed because of a lack of money.

CONTEXTUAL

Many plants die during the summer months due to a lack of water and extreme heat.

COMPLEX

The committee cited a lack of transparency in the procurement process as the primary reason for the investigation's commencement.

Usage

usually follows 'a' and is followed by a noun representing the missing item.

Teaching tip

help students distinguish between the noun 'lack' (followed by 'of') and the verb 'lack' (which takes a direct object with no preposition).

Pitfall

They lack of the necessary skills.They lack the necessary skills.the verb 'lack' is transitive and does not take 'of'; only the noun form requires the preposition.

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