Hi, guys! How are you? Aren’t so sure about how to use study collocations in the right context? Read this post and spell out all your doubts!

25 Study Collocations in Context

Read carefully this text where you will find 25 study collocations in context and then complete the quiz.

Part 1

Most children begin their studies at 5 or 6 years old in pre-school, followed by kindergarten. After that comes primary/elementary school, which consists of first grade through fifth grade. Then there’s middle school – sixth grade through eighth grade – and high school, which is ninth grade through twelfth grade. 

After high school, you apply to colleges/universities to see which ones will accept you. You send in/submit your application and then wait for the results. If you got good grades in high school, you might get / be awarded a scholarship to help pay the tuition (the cost of studying). 

Afterward, in college, you’ll take classes/courses on various subjects. You should always take notes as the teacher is giving the lecture. Some teachers may ask the students to give/make presentations or do research and write an essay, an assignment, a report, or a paper. After you hand in your work, the teacher will grade the assignment (give you an evaluation, for example, 90%) and give you feedback (comments on your work). 

To evaluate your progress, you’ll take tests/exams. If you get the minimum number of points required, you’ve passed the test; if you don’t get the minimum number of points, you’ve failed the test. It’s also possible to pass/fail a course. 

If the course proves to be too difficult, or if you don’t like it, you can withdraw from or drop the course. So, “withdraw from” is the more formal expression, and “drop” is the more informal expression. 

Part 2

Most college students choose a major/concentration. To talk about a concentration of studies, you can use “major” as a verb or a noun – for example, 

“I majored in biology” / “I was a biology major.” 

“My daughter is majoring in philosophy.” / “My daughter’s a philosophy major.” 

When you graduate from college, you’ll get a diploma. Afterwards, you can say you have a degree in the area of your concentration. You can have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctorate (Ph.D.), for example: 

“I have a bachelor’s degree in chemistry / a master’s degree in linguistics / a Ph.D. in theology.” 

Do you know any other collocation or expression related to family? Share with us!… and keep on task learning more collocations in context or 25 more relationship collocations in context!

Quiz

Complete the following quiz with the right study collocation in context:

1. Finally, Christine has been a central / medium / middle school teacher for many years. 

2. Could you give me some degree / concentration / feedback on my presentation? I’d like to know how to improve it in order to get better and better.

3. He’s applying / submitting / trying to all the best universities in the country. 

4. I think I got every question on the exam wrong – I have no doubt that I dropped / failed / lost. 

5. In short, I’m having / taking / going a course on Latin American politics. 

6. My daughter’s 12 – she’s in sixth class / grade / level. 

7. My father promised he’d buy me a car if I got / made / took good grades in my final year of high school. 

8. No, my son hasn’t chosen a degree / major / series yet and that is why he’s debating between sociology and anthropology. 

9. She awarded / formed / graduated from the University of California in 1999. 

10. The professor took ten points off my test because I handed it in / gave it up / passed it a few minutes late. 

11. The top five students in the class were awarded / submitted/ withdrawn a scholarship to a local college. 

12. This topic will be on the test – make sure to take detailed lectures / notes / writings. 

Hope now you can use study collocations with confidence! Go on learning about the Use of English and about passing your First Certificate Exam with flying colors!

Likewise, check my FB page or my TeachersPayTeachers store, where you will find all sorts of pieces of advice and resources.

To keep on improving your speaking skills, have a look at this post on savvy synonyms for overused words in speaking.

Answer Key

Complete the following quiz with the right study collocation in context:

1. Finally, Christine has been a middle school teacher for many years. 

2. Could you give me some feedback on my presentation? I’d like to know how to improve it in order to get better and better.

3. He’s applying to all the best universities in the country. 

4. I think I got every question on the exam wrong – I have no doubt that I failed. 

5. In short, I’m taking a course on Latin American politics. 

6. My daughter’s 12 – she’s in sixth grade. 

7. My father promised he’d buy me a car if I got good grades in my final year of high school. 

8. No, my son hasn’t chosen a major yet and that is why he’s debating between sociology and anthropology. 

9. She graduated from the University of California in 1999. 

10. The professor took ten points off my test because I handed it in a few minutes late. 

11. The top five students in the class were awarded a scholarship to a local college. 

12. This topic will be on the test – make sure to take detailed notes.