Exercise 1. Explain the differences between the following words.
1. Teach/learn
2. Study/learn
3. Teacher/instructor/lecturer/professor
4. Pupil/student
5. Take/pass/fail an exam.
6. Grades/results
7. Lesson/subject
8. Noticeboard/timetable
9. First draft/final draft
10. Examination/continuous assessment

1. Teach / learn

Teach means to give someone knowledge or help someone develop a skill. The subject is usually the teacher.

• She teaches English at school.

• My father taught me how to drive.

Learn means to receive knowledge or develop a skill through study, practice, or experience. The subject is the learner.

• I am learning English.

• She learned how to swim when she was six.

In simple terms, a teacher teaches, and a student learns.

2. Study / learn

Study means to spend time reading, practising, or attending classes in order to understand a subject. It describes the process or activity.

• I study English every evening.

• She is studying medicine at university.

Learn means to gain knowledge or become able to do something. It often describes the result of studying or practising.

• I learned ten new words today.

• He learned to play the piano.

You can study without successfully learning everything:

• I studied the vocabulary, but I did not learn all the words.

3. Teacher / instructor / lecturer / professor

A teacher is a general word for someone who teaches, especially at a school.

• She is a primary-school teacher.

• Our English teacher gives us a lot of homework.

An instructor teaches a particular practical skill or gives professional training.

• a driving instructor

• a fitness instructor

• a skiing instructor

A lecturer teaches at a college or university, usually by giving lectures to groups of students. In some educational systems, “lecturer” is also an official academic position.

• He is a lecturer in economics.

• The lecturer explained the theory to the class.

A professor is a senior academic who teaches and conducts research at a university. In the United States, the word is sometimes used more generally for university teachers, but in many countries it refers to a specific senior rank.

• She is a professor of biology.

• Professor Brown has published several important studies.

4. Pupil / student

A pupil is usually a child who is taught at primary or secondary school. The word is especially common in British English.

• The school has 600 pupils.

• The teacher asked the pupils to open their books.

A student is someone who studies at a school, college, or university. It is the usual word for people in higher education. In American English, it is also commonly used for schoolchildren.

• She is a university student.

• The students are preparing for their final exams.

Therefore, a university learner is normally called a student, not a pupil.

5. Take / pass / fail an exam

To take an exam means to do or sit the exam. It does not tell us whether the result was good or bad.

• I am taking my final exam tomorrow.

• She took the exam last week.

To pass an exam means to achieve the minimum required mark or a higher mark.

• He passed the exam with 75%.

• You need 50% to pass.

To fail an exam means not to achieve the minimum required mark.

• She failed the exam and must take it again.

• He failed because his mark was below 50%.

A person first takes an exam and then either passes or fails it.

6. Grades / results

Grades are the individual marks, letters, or scores given for particular pieces of work, subjects, or exams.

• I received a good grade for my essay.

• Her grades are mostly As and Bs.

• Mathematics is my best subject, so I usually get high grades.

Results are the final information showing how well someone performed in an exam, course, competition, or assessment. Exam results may include several grades.

• The examination results will be published on Monday.

• He is waiting for his final results.

• Her results were better than expected.

A grade is a particular mark, while results are the complete outcome.

7. Lesson / subject

A lesson is a period of time during which someone is taught something. It can also mean the material taught during that period.

• We have an English lesson at ten o’clock.

• Today’s lesson is about the past tense.

• I take piano lessons twice a week.

A subject is an area of knowledge studied at school, college, or university.

• English is my favourite subject.

• History, chemistry, and mathematics are school subjects.

English is a subject, while an English class on Monday morning is a lesson.

8. Noticeboard / timetable

A noticeboard is a board on which announcements, information, or advertisements are displayed.

• The exam dates are on the noticeboard.

• The school put a notice about the trip on the noticeboard.

A timetable is a plan showing when lessons, examinations, trains, or other activities take place.

• According to my timetable, we have chemistry on Tuesday.

• The examination timetable has been published.

The noticeboard is a place where information is displayed. A timetable is a particular type of schedule that may be displayed on the noticeboard.

9. First draft / final draft

A first draft is the first complete version of a piece of writing. It is usually not perfect and may contain mistakes, unclear ideas, or weak organisation.

• I finished the first draft of my essay yesterday.

• The teacher made several comments on my first draft.

A final draft is the corrected and improved version that is ready to be submitted, published, or presented.

• I checked the grammar before submitting my final draft.

• The final draft is much clearer than the first one.

Writers normally revise, edit, and proofread the first draft before producing the final draft.

10. Examination / continuous assessment

An examination is a formal test taken at a particular time. A student’s performance is evaluated mainly through their answers during that test.

• The final examination lasts three hours.

• Students must revise all the course material for the examination.

Continuous assessment is a system in which a student’s progress is evaluated throughout the course. It may include homework, essays, projects, presentations, class participation, practical work, and smaller tests.

• Half of the final mark is based on continuous assessment.

• The course has no final exam and uses continuous assessment instead.

An examination measures performance on one particular occasion, whereas continuous assessment measures performance over a longer period.