intervention

Everyday

1. An intervention is when someone steps in to change what is happening, especially to stop a problem or help. tree →
2. (school) An intervention is extra help given to pupils who need it, such as a reading group. tree →
3. (medicine) A medical intervention is a treatment or operation. tree →
4. (politics) Intervention is when a country gets involved in another country's affairs, sometimes with soldiers. tree →

In the lessons

In school life, teachers' intervention stops fights; "intervention groups" give extra support. In news, governments make interventions in wars or the economy. In lessons about bullying, bystander intervention means helping someone instead of watching. Phrases: «thanks to the intervention of», «early intervention», «military intervention», «intervention group».

Examples

• Thanks to the teacher's quick intervention, nobody got hurt. tree →
• I go to a reading intervention group on Tuesdays. tree →
• Early intervention can stop small problems getting big. tree →
• The doctors said no intervention was needed. tree →
• The goal was saved by the goalkeeper's last-second intervention. tree →
• Many people argued about the military intervention. tree →

Note

Countable for single actions («two interventions»), uncountable for the idea. Verb: intervene (intervened, intervening). Spelling: inter- + vention. Stress: in-ter-VEN-shun.