VOA慢速英语2020--Problem, Issue or Matter?

（单词翻译）

This week, we answer a question from Noel from France. He writes,

Question:

"Can you explain the difference between matter, problem and issue? In English lessons these three words come often in the conversation and I am never sure which I have to use. Thank you in advance for the explanation and thank you very much for the daily news and lessons." -- Noel, France.

Answer:

Dear Noel,

As a learner of English you probably wonder: Why does the language have so many words with similar meanings? One reason is that some words are more common in formal or official settings¹ than others. Let me start with "problem," the least formal of the words that you asked about.

Problem

"Problem" is a word that you can use in many different situations. A problem is a difficulty to overcome or a question to solve. We may say, for example:

The poor economy has caused social problems.

Or you could ask somebody this question if they look unhappy:

What's the problem?

There are many words that are close in meaning to problem, such as trouble or challenge.

Issue

A more formal word that sometimes has the same meaning as problem is "issue." It can mean a topic or subject. At meetings, "issue" is used for an important problem that people debate or talk about. You may hear political candidates² use this word as in this example:

My opponent³ does not make clear statements on the issues.

We can also use "issue" to talk about things that a large number of people care about. For example:

Ocean scientists spoke⁴ on the environmental issue of plastic pollution.

Matter

"Matter" is a more formal way of saying topic or material. The word "matter" can have a more neutral⁵ or a positive meaning than problem or issue, as in:

We will discuss the matter of awards in the next meeting.

However, "matter" is also an informal way of saying "problem" when we ask a question like:

What's the matter?

How formal is the situation?

When you are trying to decide which of the three words to use, ask yourself: How formal is this situation? If it is informal, then use the word "problem." When talking about a political subject or a debate topic, you may use the word "issue." If the situation is more formal or a legal discussion⁶, or you are talking about something that is not a problem, use the word "matter."

And that is Ask a Teacher for this week.

Your questions

What question do you have about English? Send us an email at [email protected].

I'm Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem; something that is hard to do

topic – n. a subject

positive – adj. related to the good qualities of someone or something