idiom · neutral
go back to basics
UK/ɡəʊ bæk tə ˈbeɪsɪks/US/ɡoʊ bæk tuː ˈbeɪsɪks/GO·BACK·to·BA·SICS
to return to the fundamental principles or simple elements of something.
Examples
“After failing the test, I decided to go back to basics and revise grammar first.”
“Teachers often tell students to go back to basics if they can't solve advanced problems.”
“If your essay is weak, go back to basics: structure, paragraphs, and clear arguments.”
Band 8 sentence
“When my grades slipped in algebra, I went back to basics and reworked the foundational exercises for a month.”
Collocations
- go back to basics in (grammar/reading/math)
Word family
Common mistakes
go back to bases→go back to basics
get back to basics (always correct but informal)→go back to basics
Say it for a higher band
5review basics→6start from scratch→7+go back to basics
Synonyms
start from scratch
Easily confused
start from scratch
“After the data was lost, we had to start from scratch.”
Related words
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In Study
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