Studying Flashcards
I’m a student at university and I study French. I’m studying French. I’ve been studying … for 2 months. I’ve been studying since July. I’m in my first/second/final year.
I like it because I think it’s going to be really useful for my future career.
I’m good at French.
I’m not bad at French actually.
I’m bad at…
To memorise - to learn something by heart
I’m good at memorising names.
I have a good memory for names.
To remember - to recall something
I must remember to call my sister later.
I can’t remember your name.
To remind - to tell someone not to forget to do something
I will remind you to hand in your homework tomorrow.
To take/ sit an exam - students take (do) exams
To pass an exam - to do well in an exam
To give an exam - a teacher gives an exam
To cram for an exam - to study hard in a short space of time
I often study at the last minute.
Phrasal verbs
To buckle down - to do a task with determination
I’ve been procrastinating (be lazy), but now it’s time for me to buckle down and start studying seriously.
I need to buckle down for IELTS.
To pick up something new - learn informally
Where did you learn to cook so well? I picked it up by watching Youtube videos.
To brush up on - to improve an existing knowledge or skill
I haven’t spoken French for years, I really need to brush up on it.
To pore over - to study (books, documents) with a lot of attention
I’ve been poring over my French course book lately.
I’ve been poring over these reports for my boss.
Short talk
I was a bit of a slow learner at school, to be honest. Maybe I just wasn’t very academically inclined, I preferred moving around and doing things. Sitting in at a desk for 8 hours a day wasn’t my cup of tea.
I also found it hard to memorise dates, figures and names. The teacher never gave us any good learning strategies. They would just say, here is your list of 20 facts, now go and learn them by heart.
However, my academic performance improved, the older I got. When I turned 11, I went to a grammar school, that’s a school that is partly subsidised by the government and takes in students based on their ability.
I was especially good at the arts but weaker at sciences. The language teacher forbade us from speaking English in the French class. It was so much fun. Like being a spy, talking in code!
Whenever I sat an exam, I did pretty well. I didn’t use to cram too much, I just prepared well in advance. Some students spent hours poring over their books the night before an exam. I never understood that. What was the point? What a terrible way to spend the evening before an exam.
Overall, my results were solid, but I never really passed my exams with flying colours (to pass with a very good score). That said, I did well enough and got into university. I was thrilled to bits. And that is where my education really took off!
Idioms
To burn the midnight oil - stay up late at night to study
To pass with flying colours - to pass with a very good score/ mark/ grade
That exam was a breeze - very easy
My Ielts test was not a walk in the park.
To scrape a pass - to only just pass
The pass mark was 70%, I got 71%, I scraped a pass.
To go blank - when you can’t think of anything to say
In the middle of my interview, I went blank.
To rack your brains - to try and think of something
