You enroll in a course to join it, attend its classes each week, and finish it at the end of the semester.
Joining a course
Not "Maya attends to her class every Tuesday." — say "Maya attends her class every Tuesday.". When it means "go to," attend takes no preposition.
Try it: Amina: Can I still join the spring photography course? Yasmin: Yes, if you ___ before Friday. Choose the word for the blank. (enroll / attend / submit) Answer: enroll — Officially joining a course is to enroll, and you "attend" once classes start.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
enroll
/ɪnˈroʊl/
Farid enrolled in an evening class at Haffenville Community Center.
attend
/əˈtɛnd/
Maya attends a drawing class every Tuesday.
semester
/sɪˈmestɚ/
The spring semester begins in January.
In the classroom
A lecture is a talk that teaches a subject, the curriculum is what a course covers, and a textbook is its book.
Try it: Farid: Is the business course different this year? Mei: Yes, they changed the whole ___, so every class now has a digital skills part. Choose the word for the blank. (curriculum / lecture / semester) Answer: curriculum — The plan of what every class covers is the curriculum, while a "lecture" is one talk.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
lecture
/ˈlɛktʃɚ/
Farid took careful notes during the lecture.
curriculum
/kəˈrɪkjələm/
The new curriculum includes more speaking practice.
textbook
/ˈtekstbʊk/
Mei bought the textbook for her history course.
Writing and handing in
You revise an essay to improve it, then submit it when it is finished.
Not "I need to submit my essay again to fix the introduction." — say "I need to revise my essay to fix the introduction.". Revise means improve, and submit means hand in.
Try it: Diego: My tutor says my essay is far too long. Yasmin: Then ___ it and cut a page before you send it in. Choose the word for the blank. (revise / submit / enroll) Answer: revise — Changing a piece of writing to improve it is to revise it, and you "submit" it when it is done.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
essay
/ˈeseɪ/
Farid wrote a short essay on renewable energy.
revise
/rɪˈvaɪz/
Sofia revised her introduction twice before class.
submit
/səbˈmɪt/
Amina submitted her essay before the deadline.
How work is judged
A grade is the score your work gets, and feedback is the comments on how to improve it.
Try it: Ira: Was the grade on your poster design good? Maya: Just okay, but the ___ was great. My tutor showed me exactly what to change. Choose the word for the blank. (feedback / grade / curriculum) Answer: feedback — Comments on what to change are feedback, while a "grade" is only the score.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
grade
/ɡreɪd/
Wei was pleased with his grades this term.
feedback
/ˈfiːdbæk/
The lecturer gave detailed feedback on the draft.
What are the common mistakes?
Incorrect
Correct
Why
Maya attends to her class every Tuesday.
Maya attends her class every Tuesday.
When it means "go to," attend takes no preposition.
I need to submit my essay again to fix the introduction.
I need to revise my essay to fix the introduction.