verb · neutral
sharpen
UK/ˈʃɑːpən/US/ˈʃɑːrpən/SHARP·en
Band 5-6speakingtask2
make an edge sharper; make skills, awareness, or arguments more acute or precise
Examples
“She sharpened the pencil before the exam.”
“Workshops helped sharpen students' presentation skills.”
“They sharpened the company's focus on customer service.”
Band 8 sentence
“Regular feedback from tutors helped sharpen students' analytical skills before graduation.”
Collocations
- sharpen skills
- sharpen awareness
- sharpen a blade
Word family
sharpen vsharpens v (3rd sing)sharpening v -ing / nounsharpened v (past/past participle)sharp adj
Common mistakes
I need to sharpen up my English.→I need to sharpen my English skills.
He sharpened the idea in the meeting.→He sharpened his argument in the meeting.
Say it for a higher band
5make better→6improve→7+sharpen
Synonyms
hone
improve
Easily confused
hone
“She practised every day to hone her piano technique.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -en
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