AEE 2430: Study Up On This Impressive Vocabulary
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This is an All Ears English Podcast, episode 2430. Study up on this impressive vocabulary. Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz.

and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe.

Part of leading a vibrant life is continuing to learn, but not all study terms can be used for everyone. Today, get four ways to talk about learning and studying in English. Do you understand English but struggle to speak confidently in real conversations?

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Hey there Aubrey, how's it going today? I am excellent Lindsay. I have a question for you. Sure. Have you read up on anything interesting lately?

That's a good question because my first thought is I started a new book, but that doesn't really answer the question. You're asking me, have you read up on anything? So this couldn't be like reading a novel, right? No, it doesn't really answer the question. So yeah, I'm always reading up on the news, Aubrey, keeping up to date on what's happening. Okay, nice. Perfect. I started reading. I know there's this kind of

trendy popular theory. Mel Robbins wrote this book, The Let Them Theory, and my brother was really excited about it. So I started reading up on that theory and sort of anything related. So yeah, I've been reading up on The Let Them Theory. Had you heard of it, Lindsay? Interesting.

I've heard of it, but I don't know what it is real quick. What is it? It's sort of just like, instead of trying to change people's minds or control, just let them, right? Whatever they're going to do, let them do it. Don't let it affect your attitude or your happiness. Right. But it definitely goes into it more because, you know, sometimes you, and there's also like, let me, okay, okay. I'll let you, but also I need to let me do things that will help me reach my goals. Right. Yeah.

got it all right i'll have to check i'll have to read up on that i'll bring i'll have to read up there you go something to read up on this is interesting this phrase came up we had a great question and we're sharing some related phrases do you want to read the today's question for us this question came in from yeget kurkan and yeget says the other day while i was talking to a friend from the u.s i mentioned that i had to study a lot that night and didn't have much time

She replied, so you'll hit the books, which I find quite funny and interesting. It's a phrase I hadn't heard before. That's why I thought this might be an idea for your podcast.

By the way, I recently discovered your podcast and I really enjoy listening to it. Oh, that's great to know, Aubrey. Yes. Awesome. And I can totally see why this would seem like a really funny expression because usually a hit is like a punch or maybe you hit something with your car. So it seems weird that there's this idiom, hit the book. So you imagine someone literally hitting a book.

It does seem weird. Totally agree. It's very strange. It's totally counterintuitive and we'll get into it today. But first, guys, go ahead and hit this follow button. Hit that follow button. If you just found the show, maybe your friend recommended it to you. Make sure you're following the show so you get new episodes five days a week.

And I see what you did there. Hit the follow button. Like you hit the books. It's funny how often you use hit when you don't really mean to hit anything. Very interesting. Good stuff. So yeah, let's talk about this phrase, Aubrey, hit the books.

What does it mean? First, yeah, it means studying. It's very specific to schoolwork, right? If you are in classes, college, high school, and you have to study for an exam, you would say, "I'm going to hit the books." If you're studying for the bar, right, for big exams, all that type of test, that's when we'd say, "I'm going to hit the books," if you just need to study a lot. Yeah, okay, good stuff. I need to hit the books. I have an exam tomorrow, for example.

Or again, he can't come to dinner. He's hitting the books tonight.

Yeah, but what's interesting... Yeah, he's not literally hitting a book. It means he's studying. It's a funny way to say it. It's very idiomatic. Exactly. But it's interesting to think about, you know, would you ever say this about work? Maybe if you had to read a lot of manuals or read some instructions, would you say, I'm going to hit the books? It's a good question. You really wouldn't. This is especially reserved for being a student in school. Even if you're a professional and you do study things...

It just means you're in school. Hit the books. Yeah. So where I said, have you read up on anything lately? That's because I know you're not in school. If I knew you were doing a PhD, I might say, have you been hitting the books lately? But where I know you're not, I would say, have you been reading up on anything? Because we still study. We still research when we're not enrolled in school, but we don't hit the books. Very true.

Very interesting. Yeah. I mean, I'm taking an online course on Coursera right now, multiple ones about AI, how to prompt AI, how to do it.

And that I still wouldn't say I'm hitting the books when it comes to AI. No, it doesn't work. It's a very narrow phrase. Right. You're reading up on it. That might be perfect for our next phrase here. We say study up on. This is more flexible. This means we're studying or researching anything. So you are studying up on AI. Yeah. For example, here are some sample sentences.

I don't know much about that politician's views. I need to study up on it. Yeah. So you might do this before a big election. If you're not really tuned in all the time, you need to study up on the views. Studying up on emotional intelligence. I've been studying up on the let them theory, right? So this, you don't have to be officially enrolled in any schooling, anything you're researching or studying about, you could use this.

Yes, I love it. And then we move on to read up on. Now, Aubrey, what is the difference between study up on and read up on? Yeah, these can be pretty synonymous, right? If you could say you're reading up on AI, if you are reading a lot about it, reading articles, if you're reading the news, right? If you study up on is more for something you're really researching, diving into, trying to study about, whereas read up on

It just means you're reading a lot about it. It's a little more narrow, right? Maybe the umbrella term is study up on, which you could be reading up on it, but you also could be, I don't know, taking quizzes or something. Exactly, right? Whereas if you're just reading a lot about it, then you wouldn't say study up on, just reading up on it. For example, she's been reading up on emotional intelligence, right? Same thing. This just means maybe she's reading a lot of articles. Mm-hmm.

Oh, and here we have an AI example. Love it. I need to read up on AI. I feel like there's a lot I don't know about it. Right. Yeah. So these are pretty interchangeable, pretty synonymous. Just anything you're reading a lot about, studying about, researching online, maybe. Yeah. And I like the next one. Aubrey, did you used to cram...

For tests? Yes, absolutely. I was really bad at procrastinating. And then the night before an exam, I'd be up all night long cramming. Yeah, it's so bad. It's a common habit of high school kids, right? They don't pay attention during the semester. And then the night before, we have to jam everything in our brains. And then we let it all out after we take the test. Yeah.

Exactly. Right. This just means to study a lot at once, usually after procrastinating. But this is a little more flexible, right? Hitting the books is just about like schooling. If you also are supposed to give a presentation at work and you procrastinate it, then you could say, I'm going to have to cram tonight. There's a lot I have to learn before I write these slides, for example, something you're doing last minute.

I think it's important though because cramming is about the act of getting information into your brain. So if you're cramming to get the info in your brain to then present it, that works. But if you're just hustling on the presentation, that would be another verb, right Aubrey? Right. But this, if there's a bunch you have to read before you create the slides, yes, you could cram last minute for that. Yeah. Yeah. Really important to know that difference there. Good.

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All right, Aubrey, role play time here. We are classmates in this role play. Okay. All right. You want to start us out? A few of us are hitting the books at a study session tonight if you want to come. Oh, thanks. I might take you up on that. I've got some serious cramming to do. What are you writing your thesis on?

Gender identity. I've been studying up on how much one's gender affects their sense of self. Interesting. There's definitely something. That's definitely something I'd like to read up on. Can I read your paper when it's finished? Absolutely. Nice. Nice. So I definitely had to make us students here so that we could use hitting the books.

Oh, yep. And that proves it, right? It just doesn't apply unless you're a student in a program. Exactly. So you started us out by saying a few of us are hitting the books at a study session tonight. So you were inviting me just meaning we're going to study together. And then you said, thank you.

Thanks. I might take you up on that. I've got some serious cramming to do. So you need to jam all this information into your head. Exactly. I probably have been procrastinating. I'm not like, I'm good. I'm ready. I've been studying. No, I've got some cramming to do. Oh my God. Did you used to get nervous, Aubrey, for tests before you would take them in school? Absolutely. Yes.

I remember the most nervous I ever was. Someone told me they had taken the class before and they said, if you're confident with your grade, this teacher doesn't make you take the final. He says, you know, you don't have to take it. So I didn't study at all. And I went the last day, but I was like, what if that student was wrong? And I find out I have to take the final. I hadn't studied at all. But then he was right. He was like, oh, thank you. Great. You don't have to take it. I saved all that time. I was so happy.

Oh, my gosh. Rumors, right? Good thing it was true. Good thing it was true. I know, right? Because I risked it there. It was kind of a gamble. It was risky. Yeah, gamble. All right. What did you say next, Aubrey? All right. So then you were asking what I'm writing my thesis on. And I, let's see, you said, that's definitely something I'd like to read up on.

So, oh, before that, you said, I said, I've been studying up on how much one's gender affects their sense of self. So this is interesting. It is, there is a little bit of a nuance here. Yeah. This implies that I am really researching. I'm studying, I'm looking at studies, case studies, maybe, right? I'm diving into the material more to understand something rather than just reading articles, for example.

Yeah, it's kind of like when you write a paper, like you write a master's thesis or a PhD, you do a literature review, right? You have to do that whole process where you review what's already been written. That would be a context to use a studying up on, right? Right. You might even be creating studies, surveys and having to get input that way, right? Whereas read up on is what you said next. And that would just mean more like I would like to read a lot about that. You said that's definitely something I'd like to read up on. All

right excellent aubry where should we leave our listeners for today's episode i like this theme the theme of these words because it's about staying up to date on things it's about lifelong learning in a sense isn't it yes absolutely we should all be lifelong learners right i know you guys are curious about the world there's certainly something you are studying up on reading up on and i'm also glad to be the

really grateful for this question because you could see how this would be confusing. You might accidentally ask someone at work,

work if they're hitting the books when they need to read a lot for a project. So it's good to know that that's very specific to studies schooling that you would be enrolled in. Yeah. But keep in mind, if you're a professional and you're in night school, you could hit the books, right? That's the other piece. As long as you're enrolled in a formal academic endeavor, that's the difference with hit the books, I think, Aubrey. Yeah? Yes, exactly. And then for everything else, you can study up on it. We're

reading up on it as we continue to be lifelong learners. You got it. All right. Good stuff, guys. Hit the follow button if you want to be a lifelong learner with us, with All Ears English right here. And Aubrey, I'll see you back here very soon. Awesome. See you next time. Good stuff. Bye. Bye.

Thanks for listening to All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two-minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

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