Unit 6: Studying – Theory & Overview
Image: A diverse group of university students walkingon a modern campus with books and backpacks.
1. Vocabulary: School and University
To talk about studying, we use specific words for the people, places, and subjects involved in education.
People:
Student, teacher, lecturer, principal, graduate, classmate [2, 3].
Places:
Library, classroom, computer room, gym, canteen, science lab, hall of residence [4, 5].
Subjects:
Maths, History, Science (Biology,Chemistry, Physics), Art, IT (Information Technology), Engineering, Business [6, 7].
Activities:
Take an exam, attend a lecture, do homework, revise, get a degree [1, 8].
When describing teachers or courses, we use adjectives. A teacher might be patient, strict, or knowledgeable. A course can be useful, challenging, or boring [9, 10].
Image: A chart showing three thermometers at different levels to illustrate ‘quite hot’, ‘very hot’, and ‘extremely hot’.
2. Grammar: Modifiers (Intensifiers)
Modifiers are words like very, really, and quite. They change the strength of an adjective [11, 12].
Intensity Scale:
↑ Extremely / Really / Very: These make the adjective stronger. (e.g., The exam was really difficult.)
↓ Quite / Fairly: These make the adjective a bit weaker or moderate. (e.g., The library is quite quiet.)
↓ Not very: This is a negative modifier. (e.g., The room is not very big.)
Note: “Too” has a negative meaning, suggesting there is more than enough (e.g., It is too noisy to study).
Image: Two students comparing test scores; one looks happy with a high score, the other looks neutral with an average score.
3. Grammar: Comparatives
We use comparative adjectives to compare two people, places, or things. We often use the word than after the adjective [14, 15].
- Short adjectives (1 syllable): Add -er. (old → older, tall → taller).
- Adjectives ending in -y: Change -y to -i and add -er. (easy → easier, busy → busier) [14, 16].
- Long adjectives (2+ syllables): Use more before the adjective. (interesting → more interesting).
- Irregular adjectives: Good → Better, Bad → Worse, Far → Further [17, 18].
Exercise 1: Match the Subjects
Match the school subjects (1-8) with what you study in them (a-h).
1. History ______ (a) Numbers and calculations
2. Biology ______ (b) Computers andprogramming
3. Art ______ (c) Past events and dates
4. Maths ______ (d) Painting and drawing
5. IT ______ (e) Living things and plants
6. Geography ______ (f) Money and companies
7. Business ______ (g) Exercise and sports
8. PE (Physical Education) ______ (h) Countries, maps, and land
Image: A diagram of a school layoutwith rooms labeled 1-8 but the labels are blank for the student to fill in.
Exercise 2: Places in a School
Complete the sentences with the correct place from the box: library, gym, canteen, science lab, classroom, staffroom, hall, computer room.
1. We eat lunch in the ________________.
2. We do experiments in the ________________.
3. We play basketball in the ________________.
4. Teachers relax and drink coffee in the ________________.
5. We read booksand study quietly in the ________________.
6. Welearn to code in the ________________.
7. The whole school meets for assembly in the ________________.
8. We have our English lessons in a small ________________.
Exercise 3: Comparative Forms
Write the comparative form of the following adjectives.
1. small → ________________
2. difficult → ________________
3. happy → ________________
4. good → ________________
5. bad → ________________
6. interesting → ________________
7. hot → ________________
8. creative → ________________
Exercise 4: Using Modifiers
Rewrite the sentences adding the modifier in brackets to make the meaning stronger or softer.
1. The exam was hard. (really) → ________________________________
2. My teacher is kind. (very) → ________________________________
3. The textbook is expensive. (quite) → ________________________________
4. History is interesting. (extremely) → ________________________________
5. The lecture was long. (rather) → ________________________________
6. The library is busy today. (very) → ________________________________
7. This subject is easy. (fairly) → ________________________________
8. The student is smart. (really) → ________________________________
Image: A boy studying late at nightlooking tired, and a girl studying in the morning looking fresh. Comparison concept.
Exercise 5: True or False?
Read the statements about university life. Decide if they are True or False based on general knowledge.
1. A library is usually noisier than a gym. (True / False)
2. University courses are often more difficult than primary school classes. (True / False)
3. A lecturer is a student who studies hard. (True / False)
4. Physics is a science subject. (True / False)
5. You go to a canteen to buy books. (True / False)
6. A graduate is someone who has finishedtheir degree. (True / False)
7. ‘Better’ is the comparative form of ‘good’. (True / False)
8. We use ‘more’ with short adjectives like ‘sad’. (True / False)
Exercise 6: Sentence Ordering
Put the words in the correct order to form sentences.
1. is / Chemistry / Physics / than / difficult / more / .
2. really / My / is / strict / teacher / .
3. quite / library / The / old / is / .
4. English / at / I / good / am / very / .
5. exam / worse / The / was / I / than / expected / .
6. today / sunny / is / It / extremely / .
7. subjects / What / study / do / you / ?
8. happier / She / is / her / than / sister / .
