Word of the Week-Impact

The word IMPACT has two meanings as a noun:

1. It means an EFFECT or INFLUENCE and is commonly used with verbs MAKE and HAVE.

For example;

Efforts to encourage recycling are making a major impact in rural areas.
The rise in e-commerce is having a significant impact on high street retailers.

Here are some other adjectives that are commonly used with ‘impact’:

BIG/IMPORTANT - dramatic, profound, serious
NEGATIVE - adverse, devastating, catastrophic

2. It can also be used to describe a collision between two objects or the force with which they hit each other.

For example;

The airbags will automatically inflate on impact. (when the car hits another object)
I was knocked unconscious by the force of the impact.

If you want to say that the impact is reduced by something, you can use the following verbs:

absorb / cushion / lessen / minimize / soften + the impact

For example; The Finance Minister failed to cushion the impact of government spending cuts.

IMPACT can also be used as a VERB, which means to have an effect or influence ON someone or something.

For example;

The high temperatures and lack of rain this Spring will impact dramatically on the agricultural sector.

Resource: ipassielts.com