Study

20 words

1. 1

   drop out (of)idiom (v)/drɒp aʊt/

   to leave school, college, or a course before finishing it

   “He dropped out of university after his first year to work full-time.”

2. 2

   go back to basicsidiom/ɡəʊ bæk tə ˈbeɪsɪks/

   to return to the fundamental principles or simple elements of something.

   “After failing the test, I decided to go back to basics and revise grammar first.”

3. 3

   hit the ground runningidiom/hɪt ðə ɡraʊnd ˈrʌnɪŋ/

   to start something and perform very well immediately without needing much preparation.

   “New students who revise before term usually hit the ground running in week one.”

4. 4

   think outside the boxidiom/θɪŋk ˌaʊtˈsaɪd ðə ˈbɒks/

   to think in a creative, original way instead of following conventional ideas

   “To solve this complex problem we need to think outside the box.”

5. 5

   be a quick studyidiom/biː ə kwɪk ˈstʌdi/

   to learn or understand new things quickly.

   “He watched the demo once and mastered the task — he's a quick study.”

6. 6

   pull one's socks upidiom (v)/pʊl wʌnz sɒks ʌp/

   to make a greater effort to improve your behaviour or performance

   “After a warning from his teacher, he pulled his socks up and started doing homework regularly.”

7. 7

   go back to the drawing boardidiom

   to start again from the beginning because the previous attempt failed

   “The prototype didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board.”

8. 8

   spread oneself too thinidiom/sprɛd wʌnˈsɛlf tuː θɪn/

   to try to do too many things at once so that you cannot do any of them effectively.

   “She spread herself too thin with clubs and courses and ended up failing some classes.”

9. 9

   learn the hard wayidiom (v)/lɜːn ðə hɑːd weɪ/

   to gain knowledge or understanding from an unpleasant experience or mistake

   “He learned the hard way that cramming the night before doesn't work for him.”

10. 10

    take on boardidiom/teɪk ɒn bɔːd/

    to accept and act on an idea, suggestion, or criticism.

    “The teacher took her feedback on board and changed the lesson plan.”

11. 11

    be a bookwormidiom/bi ə ˈbʊkwɜːm/

    a person who enjoys reading a lot and often spends much time with books

    “She’s always been a bit of a bookworm; she prefers novels to going out.”

12. 12

    get a head start (on)idiom/ɡet ə ˌhɛd ˈstɑːt/

    to start earlier than others so you have an advantage

    “I took extra classes over the summer to get a head start on my university course.”

13. 13

    rack one's brainsidiom/ræk wʌnz breɪnz/

    to think very hard in order to remember something or find a solution

    “I racked my brains but couldn't remember her name.”

14. 14

    cut class / skip classidiom (v)/kʌt klɑːs/ /skɪp klɑːs/

    to miss school or a lesson intentionally, without a legitimate reason

    “He used to cut class in high school to hang out with his friends.”

15. 15

    buckle downphrasal verb/idiom/ˈbʌkəl daʊn/

    to start working seriously and with determination

    “I need to buckle down and finish this assignment tonight.”

16. 16

    burn the candle at both endsidiom

    to work or study so much, especially early and late, that you become very tired

    “During exams she was burning the candle at both ends and soon felt exhausted.”

17. 17

    be on top of (something)idiom/bi ɒn tɒp əv ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

    to be in control of a situation or to know what is happening

    “She is on top of her workload and never misses a deadline.”

18. 18

    pore overphrasal verb/pɔː ˈəʊvə/

    to read or study something very carefully and in detail

    “She pored over the manuscript for hours searching for mistakes.”

19. 19

    have something under one's beltidiom

    to have gained experience, skill, or an achievement that can be useful later

    “With two internships under her belt, she stood out at the job interview.”

20. 20

    swot up (on)phrasal verb/ˈswɒt ʌp ɒn/

    to study something intensively, especially in order to prepare for an exam

    “She swotted up on the vocabulary the night before the test.”