Talking about Results

Talking about results in English means describing what happens after an action, event, or decision. Results can be positive, negative, or neutral, and help us understand the outcome of a situation.

Key Vocabulary

Here are 10 important English words for talking about results:

English Word	Example Sentence
result	The result of the test was surprising.
outcome	The outcome of the meeting was positive.
consequence	One consequence of the decision was increased costs.
effect	The new policy had a strong effect on sales.
impact	The announcement had an immediate impact on the stock price.
success	The project was a great success.
failure	The experiment was a failure.
benefit	One benefit of the new system is faster processing.
drawback	A drawback of the plan is the high expense.
conclusion	We reached the conclusion that more research is needed.

Translate the following sentence into English using the word “outcome”: 'O ____ da reunião foi positivo.'

The effect of the meeting was positive.

The outcome of the meeting was positive.

The result of the meeting was positive.

The outcome of the meeting was positive.

“Outcome” is the most natural word here because it emphasizes the final situation or conclusion of the meeting.

Verbs for Talking About Results

Use these verbs to describe how results come about or are produced:

English Verb	Example Sentence
cause	Smoking can cause serious health problems.
lead to	Poor planning can lead to failure.
result in	The mistake resulted in a delay.
produce	The experiment produced interesting results.
bring about	The new law brought about significant changes.
affect	Weather affects crop yields.
determine	The test will determine your level.
influence	The teacher’s feedback influenced my approach.
contribute to	Stress can contribute to health issues.
trigger	The alarm was triggered by smoke.

Which verb fits? 'The teacher’s feedback ___ my approach.'

caused

influenced

determined

influenced

“Influenced” means it had an effect on how I approached the task.

Which phrase fits? 'Poor planning can ___ failure.'

bring about

lead to

result in

lead to

“Lead to” means something gradually causes a particular result.

Phrases for Describing Results

These common phrases help you express results clearly in English:

Phrase	Example Sentence
as a result	As a result, the project was delayed.
in consequence	In consequence, costs increased.
as a consequence	As a consequence, many people lost their jobs.
(to) follow from	Difficulties often follow from poor communication.
the end result	The end result was better than expected.
take effect	The new rules take effect next month.
come as a surprise	The outcome came as a surprise to everyone.
turn out (to be)	The event turned out to be a success.
end up (doing something)	We ended up cancelling the meeting.
bring (something) to an end	The agreement brought the conflict to an end.

Which phrase fits: 'The ___ was better than expected.'

last consequence

end result

final outcome

end result

“End result” emphasizes the final state after everything has happened.

Which phrase fits? 'The outcome ___ a surprise to everyone.'

turned out to be

came as

was

came as

“Came as a surprise” is an idiomatic way to describe an unexpected result.

Choose the phrase that fits: 'The new rules ___ next month.'

begin implementation

take effect

come into force

take effect

“Take effect” is a common phrase meaning rules or laws start to be applied.

Talking About Positive Results

Here are some useful words and phrases for describing good or successful outcomes:

English Phrase	Example Sentence
be successful	The campaign was successful.
succeed (in)	She succeeded in solving the problem.
achieve	We achieved our goals ahead of schedule.
make progress	The team is making good progress.
improve	Sales improved after the promotion.
benefit from	We benefited from the new training program.
pay off	All our hard work finally paid off.
prove effective	The new method proved effective.
yield (results)	The experiment yielded interesting results.
come through	The players came through under pressure.

Talking About Negative Results

Use these words and phrases to describe unsuccessful or unwanted outcomes:

English Phrase	Example Sentence
fail	The project failed due to lack of funding.
be unsuccessful	The attempt was unsuccessful.
experience problems	We experienced problems with the software.
suffer (losses)	The company suffered heavy losses.
cause damage	The storm caused severe damage.
result in failure	Poor preparation resulted in failure.
fall short (of expectations)	Sales fell short of expectations.
lead to difficulties	The changes led to difficulties for staff.
encounter obstacles	We encountered obstacles along the way.
be disappointing	The outcome was disappointing.

Conclusion

Here are the most important phrases again, with example sentences:

English Phrase	Example Sentence
result in / result from	The error resulted in delays. / The delays resulted from the error.
lead to	The new policy led to improved efficiency.
as a result	As a result, profits increased.
succeed / fail	She succeeded in finishing early. / We failed to meet the deadline.
benefit / suffer	The company benefited from cost cuts. / It suffered losses last quarter.
the end result	The end result was a happier team.
turn out (to be)	The event turned out to be very successful.
end up (doing something)	We ended up working late.

These words and phrases will help you talk about all kinds of results in English, whether good or bad.

Example Sentence: The result of the test was surprising.

English Word: result

English