These expressions are used to talk about studying, understanding new material, and learning efficiently. Here are 20 useful idioms and phrasal verbs to enhance your vocabulary.
Study Expressions
- Brush up on
- Meaning: Review or improve skills.
- Example: I need to brush up on algebra.
- Hit the books
- Meaning: Study hard and diligently.
- Example: She hit the books before exams.
- Learn by heart
- Meaning: Memorize something thoroughly.
- Example: You should learn these dates by heart.
- Pull an all-nighter
- Meaning: Stay up all night studying.
- Example: He pulled an all-nighter for the test.
- Crack a book
- Meaning: Open and read a book.
- Example: He hasn’t cracked a book all term.
- Bone up on
- Meaning: Study hard and quickly.
- Example: I had to bone up on math.
- Keep up with
- Meaning: Stay at the same pace.
- Example: I struggled to keep up with assignments.
- Hit the sack
- Meaning: Go to sleep after studying.
- Example: After studying, he hit the sack.
- Burn the midnight oil
- Meaning: Study late into the night.
- Example: She burned the midnight oil last night.
- Skim through
- Meaning: Read quickly without detail.
- Example: I skimmed through the textbook before class.
- Be swamped with
- Meaning: Be overwhelmed by a lot of work.
- Example: She’s swamped with essays and projects.
- Read up on
- Meaning: Research or read extensively.
- Example: You should read up on Shakespeare.
- Zone out
- Meaning: Lose concentration while studying.
- Example: I zoned out halfway through the lecture.
- Sleep on it
- Meaning: Take time to consider a problem.
- Example: I’ll sleep on it before deciding.
- Get the hang of
- Meaning: Learn how to do something.
- Example: She finally got the hang of algebra.
- Catch up on
- Meaning: Make up for lost time.
- Example: I need to catch up on my reading.
- Pass with flying colors
- Meaning: Pass easily and with high marks.
- Example: He passed the math test with flying colors.
- Fall behind
- Meaning: Lag or move slower than others.
- Example: I fell behind in my assignments.
- Hit the ground running
- Meaning: Start doing something actively and energetically.
- Example: She hit the ground running after vacation.
- Take in
- Meaning: Fully understand or absorb information.
- Example: It was hard to take in all the data.
