Core education words by topic

People and places

• student, classmate, candidate, teacher, lecturer, supervisor, principal, librarian
• classroom, lecture hall, laboratory, library, campus, dormitory

Courses and levels

• subject, elective, core course, syllabus, curriculum, module, semester, term, credit, prerequisite, foundation course, undergraduate, postgraduate

Assessment

• exam, test, quiz, assignment, essay, report, presentation, project, dissertation, thesis, deadline, grade, score, rubric, feedback

Resources and tools

• textbook, workbook, handout, notes, highlighter, flashcards, whiteboard, projector, software, spreadsheet, citation, reference

High value collocations

• take an exam, sit an exam, pass or fail an exam
• meet a deadline, request an extension, submit an assignment
• attend a lecture, miss a class, catch up on notes
• do research, conduct a survey, collect data, analyze results
• make a presentation, give feedback, receive feedback
• academic performance, study plan, learning goals, time management
• practical skills, theoretical knowledge, critical thinking

Model sentences

• I submitted my essay and received detailed feedback.
• She conducted a small survey for her research project.
• We have to meet the deadline for the group report.

Study skills verbs you need

• outline, draft, revise, edit, proofread, paraphrase, summarize
• highlight, annotate, organize, prioritize, schedule
• memorize, recall, retrieve, practice, review
• brainstorm, compare, contrast, evaluate, justify

Tip
Use a verb that matches the task. Example: summarize a paragraph, paraphrase a sentence, evaluate an argument.

Classroom English

• Could you explain that again
• What do you mean by this term
• Could I ask a question
• I agree to some extent
• In my opinion, the key point is clarity
• The evidence suggests that attendance improves results

Phrasal verbs for study

• hand in = submit. I will hand in my report tomorrow.
• hand out = distribute. The teacher handed out a worksheet.
• look up = search for information. Look up the definition.
• go over = review. Let us go over the answers.
• keep up with = stay at the same level. It is hard to keep up with the reading.
• catch up on = do something you missed. I need to catch up on lectures.
• fall behind = make less progress. He fell behind after he was ill.
• drop out = leave a course before finishing. She dropped out in the second term.
• sign up for = enroll in. I signed up for an elective.
• work on = focus effort. I am working on my thesis.

Common academic nouns with prepositions

• an increase in applications
• a decrease in errors
• an improvement in performance
• influence on motivation
• impact on results
• solution to a problem
• approach to learning
• reasons for failure
• feedback on an essay

Small grammar notes

• Advice and information are uncountable. Say some advice, a piece of information.
• People is the plural of person. Peoples means nations.
• Each or every takes a singular verb. Each student needs an ID.
• Data is common as plural in formal science. Data show a clear trend. Consistency is more important than the choice.

Mini dialogues

Asking for help

• A: I am struggling with the deadline.
• B: Ask for an extension and outline a new plan. I can help you proofread.

Group work

• A: Who will present
• B: I can present if you prepare the slides.
• A: Deal. Let us go over the key points.

Typical mistakes and fixes

• ❌ I did a research about pollution.
  ✅ I did research about pollution.
  ✅ I conducted a study on pollution.
• ❌ He gave me many informations.
  ✅ He gave me a lot of information.
  ✅ He gave me a piece of information.
• ❌ I will give an exam tomorrow.
  ✅ I will take an exam tomorrow.
  ✅ The teacher will give an exam tomorrow.
• ❌ We discussed about the topic.
  ✅ We discussed the topic.
• ❌ She is weak in vocabulary.
  ✅ She has a weak vocabulary.
  ✅ She needs to improve her vocabulary.

11) Quick practice with answers

A. Choose the best option

1. I need to (submit or hand in) my assignment by Friday.
2. We must (meet or reach) the deadline tomorrow.
3. She will (sign up for or sign in) a coding module.
4. The professor (handed out or handed in) the reading list.
5. I will (go over or look over) the notes tonight.

Answers

1. submit or hand in
2. meet
3. sign up for
4. handed out
5. go over

B. Fix the sentence
6) We had many homeworks last week.
7) The result depends from the sample size.
8) I want to improve my speaking skill s.

Suggested answers
6) We had a lot of homework last week.
7) The result depends on the sample size.
8) I want to improve my speaking skills.

Writing frames you can reuse

Email to a teacher

• Dear Dr Ahmed,
  I am writing to request a short meeting about my project. I would like feedback on my research question and the outline. Are you available on Tuesday afternoon
  Kind regards,
  Samira

Presentation opener

• Good morning. Today I will outline my aims, explain the method and present the results. Finally, I will discuss the limitations and suggestions for future work.

10 minute drills

• Make 10 collocations with your subject. Example: conduct an experiment, analyze data.
• Paraphrase 3 course objectives in your own words.
• Record a 60 second summary of a lecture. Use at least 5 words from this guide.
• Create 8 flashcards: front term, back definition plus example sentence.

7 day review plan

• Day 1 core words for people and places
• Day 2 assessment and resources
• Day 3 study skills verbs and phrasal verbs
• Day 4 collocations from your subject
• Day 5 pronunciation and mini dialogues
• Day 6 error correction practice
• Day 7 write a 120 word study routine using 12 target items