INDEX:
1. to study something at school, university etc
2. to study to prepare for an examination
3. to study something in order to discover new facts
4. the work that you do when you study something
5. a student
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ LEARN
↑ SUBJECT
↑ SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY
↑ TEACH
↑ TEST
↑ READ
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1. to study something at school, university etc
▷ study /ˈstʌdi/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to learn about a subject by reading books, going to classes etc :
▪ It’s difficult to study when the weather’s so hot.
▪ I’ve been studying English for six years now.
▪ His parents sent him to Moscow to study physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
▪ If you study hard, you’ll be able to get into a good university.
study to be something
▪ She’s at business school, studying to be an accountant.
study under
receive lessons from a famous teacher
▪ Nicoll was himself a noted psychologist and studied under Jung in Zurich.
▷ take /teɪk/ [transitive verb]
to study a subject - use this to talk about subjects that you choose to study at school, college, university etc :
▪ What classes are you taking next semester?
▪ In my final year, I decided to take English, French, and economics.
▪ All freshmen have to take at least one composition course.
▷ do /duː/ [transitive verb] British informal
to study a particular subject at school or university :
▪ I can’t decide whether to do German or Spanish next year.
▪ Did you do computing at school?
do a course
▪ Why not do a language course at your local college?
▷ major in /ˈmeɪdʒər ɪn/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive] American
to study something as your main subject at a college or university :
▪ What are you majoring in?
▪ Diane majored in psychology at the University of Washington.
▷ minor in /ˈmaɪnər ɪn/ [] American
if you minor in a subject, it is the second most important subject you study at a college or university :
▪ I’m planning to study computer science, but I still might minor in English.
▷ take lessons also have lessons British /ˌteɪk ˈles ə nz, ˌhæv ˈles ə nz/ [verb phrase]
to pay for lessons from a teacher in order to study a subject or skill in your free time :
▪ My mother wants me to take violin lessons.
▪ I’m having Spanish lessons after work.
take lessons in
▪ Students at the school can even take lessons in golf.
▷ read /riːd/ [transitive verb not in passive] British formal
to study a subject at university :
▪ Oliver is reading philosophy at Oxford.
▪ She went on to read medicine at Edinburgh.
▷ place /pleɪs/ [countable noun] British
an offer or opportunity to study as a student at a particular school, college, or university :
▪ Studies show that students from wealthier backgrounds are more likely to be offered places at high-achieving schools.
have/get a place (at)
▪ Jenny has a place to study law at Exeter this year.
▪ If I get a place at Manchester, I’ll take it.
2. to study to prepare for an examination
▷ study /ˈstʌdi/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to learn the information you need to prepare yourself for a test or examination :
▪ I’m going to spend the afternoon studying my notes.
▪ The test is supposed to be hard - aren’t you going to study at all?
study for
▪ He studied for the bar exam all year, and he still didn’t pass.
▪ I can’t go to the movie tonight - I have a big test to study for.
▷ revise /rɪˈvaɪz/ [intransitive/transitive verb] British
to read books, notes etc in order to prepare for an examination that you are going to take :
▪ Ahmed’s upstairs, revising.
▪ What are you revising tonight?
revise for
▪ The library was full of students revising for the final exams.
▷ cram /kræm/ [intransitive verb] informal
to study very hard just before an examination, especially because you do not know enough :
▪ You’ll really have to cram if you want to pass the test.
cram for
▪ Everyone’s cramming for their final exams.
▷ swot /swɒtǁswɑːt/ [intransitive verb] British informal
to study for an examination :
▪ He’s sure to pass - he’s been swotting away for months.
swot for
▪ I was too busy swotting for my exams to be much interested in girls.
▷ bone up on /ˌbəʊn ˈʌp ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to study a particular subject to prepare for a test or examination :
▪ I’ve been boning up on my Latin for the entrance exam.
3. to study something in order to discover new facts
▷ study /ˈstʌdi/ [transitive verb]
to examine something carefully, do tests on it etc, in order to find out more about it and discover new facts :
▪ She spent several years studying the behaviour of gorillas in Africa.
▪ The discovery will be of great interest to scientists studying the origins of the universe.
study how/why/when etc
▪ NASA has used the space shuttle to study how materials perform in a weightless environment.
▷ analyse British /analyze American /ˈæn ə l-aɪz/ [transitive verb]
to carefully examine information, reports, the results of tests etc, in order to understand something better :
▪ We use a special computer program to analyse all the sales figures.
▪ We will have to analyze the results of the survey before making any decisions.
analysis /əˈnælɪsəs, əˈnæləsəs/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ He’s written a careful analysis of the drug problem in America.
▷ do/conduct research also carry out research /duː, kənˌdʌkt rɪˈsɜːʳtʃ, ˌkæri aʊt rɪˈsɜːʳtʃ/ [verb phrase]
to study a subject in a careful, detailed way, in order to discover new information or produce new ideas about it :
▪ Dr. Cooper is a surgeon who does research at Harvard University.
▪ The organization’s laboratories conduct advanced research in areas such as electronics, biotechnology, and engineering.
do/conduct research into/on
▪ Baskin has made several trips to Nicaragua to carry out research on land distribution.
▷ research /rɪˈsɜːʳtʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to study a subject in a careful, detailed way, in order to discover new information or produce new ideas about it :
▪ Vargas began researching his family’s history 12 years ago.
▪ It is important to research the market fully before offering a new product for sale.
research into
British
▪ Doctors researching into the causes of the disease believe they may have found a cure.
4. the work that you do when you study something
▷ somebody’s studies / somebodyˈs ˈstʌdiz/ [plural noun]
all the work that someone does when they are a student at school or university :
▪ My uncle asked me how I was enjoying my studies.
▪ James interrupted his studies to travel around Europe for a year.
▪ She plans to continue her studies at Colgate in the fall.
▷ homework /ˈhəʊmwɜːʳk/ [uncountable noun]
work that a school student is given to do during free time, not during lessons :
▪ Don’t you kids have any homework?
▪ Mrs Burgess gives more homework than the other teachers.
do your homework
▪ Go to your room and do your math homework before you start watching TV.
▷ coursework /ˈkɔːʳswɜːʳk/ [uncountable noun]
all the work that a student has to do as part of a course of study, but not the examinations :
▪ The diploma requires 30 hours of coursework.
▪ Half of the marks are for the exam, and half are for coursework.
▷ revision /rɪˈvɪʒ ə n/ [uncountable noun] British
when you read books, notes etc in order to prepare for an examination that you are going to do :
▪ How is your history revision going?
do revision
▪ I can’t come out tonight - I’ve got a lot of revision to do.
▷ study /ˈstʌdi/ [countable noun]
a piece of work, especially one that includes a written report, that involves studying a particular subject in order to find out more about it :
▪ Recent studies have shown that women find it harder than men to give up smoking.
study on
▪ Berne has published a review of studies on sex education programs in public schools.
study of
▪ Our comparative study of political culture includes five democracies.
do/conduct/carry out a study
▪ We’re doing a study into how much time people spend watching television each day.
▷ research /rɪˈsɜːʳtʃ, ˈriːsɜːʳtʃ/ [uncountable noun]
careful, detailed work that you do in order to discover new information or produce new ideas about a particular subject :
▪ Recent research has shown that human language is much older than we previously thought.
research into
▪ More research is needed into the ways in which this virus is spread.
research on
▪ He hopes that his book will inspire more research on alcoholism.
scientific/historical/clinical etc research
▪ There is no scientific research to back up the company’s claims.
do/conduct/carry out research
▪ She’s doing research into the connection between crime and poverty.
▪ Many of the questions can be answered without carrying out any new research.
5. a student
▷ student /ˈstjuːd ə ntǁˈstuː-/ [countable noun]
someone who is studying at school, university etc :
▪ We would welcome suggestions from both teachers and students.
▪ Student leaders had organized a sit-in to protest against the war.
high school/college etc student
▪ The study found that drug use among high school students is rising.
English/engineering/business etc student
▪ Seventy percent of the university’s business students have job offers by graduation.
student of
▪ Wiggins was a student of theology for many years before leaving the seminary.
student days
the time when you were a student
▪ Mira hadn’t seen Brad since their student days at the University of Wisconsin.
▷ pupil /ˈpjuːp ə l/ [countable noun] especially British
a child who studies at a school :
▪ The school has over 700 pupils.
▪ The new law reduces the number of pupils per class in the first four years of schooling.
▷ learner /ˈlɜːʳnəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who is learning about a particular subject - used especially by teachers and people talking about the needs of students :
▪ A major aim of education is to improve learners’ understanding of the world around them.
▪ At the end of each chapter there is a series of exercises designed to help the learner.
▷ schoolboy/schoolgirl/schoolchild /ˈskuːlbɔɪ, ˈskuːlgɜːʳl, ˈskuːltʃaɪld/ [countable noun] especially British
a child who studies at a school :
▪ He was quickly surrounded by schoolgirls asking for his autograph.
▪ Only 10% of British schoolchildren attend private schools.
▷ schoolkid /ˈskuːlkɪd/ [countable noun] informal
a child who studies at a school :
▪ I was just a schoolkid - I didn’t know anything about poetry or literature.
▪ They were standing outside giggling away like a couple of naughty schoolkids.
▷ undergraduate /ˌʌndəʳˈgrædʒuɪt, ˌʌndəʳˈgrædʒuət/ [countable noun]
someone who is studying at a university in order to get their first degree :
▪ They met when they were undergraduates at Cambridge.
▪ The loans, which are based on financial need, are limited to $3000 for undergraduates.
undergraduate [adjective]
▪ This textbook is primarily intended for undergraduate students of history.
▷ English/history etc major /ˌɪŋglɪʃ ˈmeɪdʒəʳ/ [countable noun] American
someone who is studying English, history etc as their main subject at a college or university :
▪ Her boyfriend was a political science major at Berkeley.
▪ I was a biology major in college, but I’ve forgotten almost everything I learned.
▷ postgraduate British /graduate student American /ˌpəʊstˈgrædʒuɪt, ˌpəʊstˈgrædʒuət, ˈgrædʒuə̇t ˌstjuːd ə ntǁ-ˌstuː-/ [countable noun]
someone who is studying for a higher degree after their first degree :
▪ About half the graduate students in the program come from overseas.
▪ He has three postgraduates helping him with his research.
postgraduate especially British
graduate American [adjective only before noun]
▪ Most of the people in the department hold postgraduate degrees.