make a change

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitive

   to do something different from what you usually do, especially to improve your life

   Grammar: Often used with 'in' or 'to': make a change in your diet.

   Patterns

   • make a change in something
   • make a change to something

   I've decided to make a change and start exercising every morning.

   The company made a change to its refund policy.

   She made a change in her career and became a teacher.

2. 2phrasetransitive

   to replace one thing with another; to alter something

   Grammar: Takes an object: make a change to the schedule.

   Patterns

   • make a change to something

   We need to make a change to the meeting time.

   He made a change to the recipe by adding less sugar.

Common combinations

make a change in

She made a change in her hairstyle.

make a change to

They made a change to the contract.

make a big change

Moving abroad was a big change for him.

make a positive change

Volunteering made a positive change in the community.

Synonyms and how they differ

alter

Alter is a more formal verb meaning to change something; make a change is more conversational and often implies a deliberate improvement.

modify

Modify means to change something slightly, often to improve it; make a change can be used for any kind of change, big or small.

Commonly confused: make a change or take a change?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “make a change”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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