Practice
English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with R
Sign in to saveYou receive a message, reduce a cost, refuse an offer, repair a fault, make a request, and wait for a result. These six R words help you describe everyday actions and outcomes clearly.
Use receive, reduce, refuse, repair, request, and result accurately in everyday and work-related English sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
receive, reduce, refuse, repair, request, result /rɪˈsiːv, rɪˈdjuːs, rɪˈfjuːz, rɪˈpeə, rɪˈkwest, rɪˈzʌlt/
The short answer
Use receive for getting something, reduce for making something less, refuse for saying no, repair for fixing something, request for a polite or formal ask, and result for an outcome.
The office received your request this morning.
Why it works: Received tells us that the office got the request.
6 more examples
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We received the replacement part this morning.
The team got the part.
Not this:We
requestedthe replacement part this morning. What changes: Requested means asked for. It does not mean that the part arrived. -
The library reduced its weekend hours last month.
The number of opening hours became smaller.
Not this:The library
repairedits weekend hours last month. What changes: Hours are reduced or extended, not repaired. -
He refused the offer because the travel time was too long.
He said no to the offer.
Not this:He
receivedthe offer because the travel time was too long. What changes: Received means got the offer; it does not show acceptance or rejection. -
The mechanic repaired the loose door handle.
The mechanic fixed a physical problem.
Not this:The mechanic
reducedthe loose door handle. What changes: Reduce means make less. A faulty handle needs repair. -
Please send your request by Friday.
Request is a noun here: it names the polite ask.
Not this:Please send your
resultby Friday. What changes: A result is an outcome, not the ask itself. -
The result of the survey showed that most visitors preferred morning classes.
Result names the outcome produced by the survey.
Not this:The
requestof the survey showed that most visitors preferred morning classes. What changes: A request asks for something. A survey's outcome is its result.
Read the full guide
Look at the relationship in the sentence before choosing a word. Use receive when someone gets an email, document, or item. Use reduce when an amount becomes lower. Use refuse when someone says no and repair when something broken works again. A request asks for something, while a result tells you what happened.
Choose the word by its job
First decide whether the sentence needs a verb or a noun. Receive, reduce, refuse, and repair describe actions. Result names an outcome. Request can name the ask or describe the action of asking.
The manager requested a copy of the report.
Requested is a verb because it tells us what the manager did.
Which word names the outcome after a test or survey?
Use result: The result tells you what happened.
Use receive when something arrives
Use receive when a person or organization gets something. The thing may be an email, payment, parcel, invitation, document, or information. The word is common in formal messages and useful in ordinary conversation.
Did you receive my email yesterday?
The speaker asks whether the email arrived and reached the other person.
Which verb fits when a customer gets a refund?
Use receive: The customer received a refund.
Use reduce when something becomes less
Reduce means make something smaller, lower, fewer, or less strong. You can reduce a price, amount, delay, risk, or level of noise. It normally needs the thing that changes after it.
Closing the window reduced the traffic noise.
The noise became less strong after the window was closed.
What can a store do to make a price lower?
A store can reduce the price.
Use refuse and repair for different actions
Refuse means say no to something or decide not to do it. Repair means fix damage or a fault so that something works properly again. Look for a decision before refuse and a problem before repair.
The tenant refused to sign the new agreement.
The tenant chose not to sign, so refuse is the right verb.
A technician will repair the broken screen tomorrow.
The screen has a fault, so it needs repair rather than a decision.
Keep request and result separate
A request comes before an action because it asks for something. A result comes after an action because it tells you the outcome. This order helps in an email, form, report, or conversation.
Her request for more time was approved.
The request is the ask. Approval is what happened after the ask.
Which word fits after the phrase the result of?
Use the event or process that produced the outcome, such as the result of the survey.
Build a clear sentence with an R word
Use surrounding words to check your choice. After refuse, use a noun or to plus a verb. After repair, name the damaged item. With request as a noun, add for when you name what someone wants. With result, use of to name the source of the outcome.
The team refused to change the date without more information.
Refuse to plus a verb shows an action that the team chose not to do.
Complete the phrase: a request ___ a quieter room.
Use for: a request for a quieter room.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose receive when someone gets something and reduce when an amount becomes less. Use refuse for saying no and repair for fixing a fault. A request is an ask, while a result is the outcome. Check the word's job in the sentence before choosing it.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with R"
What does receive mean?
Receive means to get something that another person, organization, or service sends or gives. You can receive an email, a package, information, an invitation, or payment. It is often more formal than get in workplace messages and notices.
We received the replacement part this morning.
How do I use reduce in a sentence?
Use reduce when you make an amount, size, number, cost, delay, risk, or effect less. It normally takes the thing that changes: reduce costs, reduce noise, or reduce the waiting time. The sentence should show what becomes smaller or lower.
We requested the replacement part this morning.
What is the difference between refuse and repair?
Refuse means say no to an offer, request, or action. Repair means fix something that is broken or faulty. A person can refuse to sign a form, while a technician can repair a screen. One word describes a decision and the other describes fixing a problem.
The library reduced its weekend hours last month.
Can request be a noun and a verb?
Yes. As a verb, request means ask for something in a polite or formal way. As a noun, a request is the ask itself. You can request a copy of a document, or send a request for a copy. The words around it show which job it has.
The library repaired its weekend hours last month.
How do I use result correctly?
Result usually names an outcome. Use it for the outcome of a test, survey, meeting, process, or event. The phrase result of links the outcome to its source, such as the result of a survey. Do not use result for the original question or ask.
He refused the offer because the travel time was too long.