Nhi reads several illustrated books about plants and butterflies to learn more about the same topic.
read up on
I read up on butterflies before our visit to the garden.
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I read up on butterflies before our visit to the garden.
We should read up on local wildlife before we go camping.
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We should read up on local wildlife before we go camping.
View meaning & usage
Learn about a topic by reading
read up on something
Reading to gain more knowledge, often to prepare for something. Keep “up on” before the topic. “Read” in the past is still written like that but reads /red/.
Nhi writes a few short notes in a notebook beside an open book.
note down
Note down the title so you can find the book later.
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Note down the title so you can find the book later.
That is a useful fact. I will note it down.
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That is a useful fact. I will note it down.
View meaning & usage
Record information in writing so you can remember it
note down somethingnote something downnote it down
Close to the meaning “write down”; Often used when briefly writing down information that needs to be remembered. Middle pronoun: “note it down”, do not use “note down it”.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 46, 106, 46, 90, 124. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Phrases
Actions in the pictures
Picture description
Nhi quickly flicks through a book, with the edges of the pages visibly turning.
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Picture description
Nhi reads several illustrated books about plants and butterflies to learn more about the same topic.
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Picture description
Nhi focuses on a leaf picture under a magnifying glass while the surrounding pictures are less prominent.
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Picture description
Nhi writes a few short notes in a notebook beside an open book.
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Picture description
Nhi reduces a page of information to a small card with three main points, shown as short lines beside the original page.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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A conversation in context
Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
Mai
I will flick through this brochure to see what is in it.
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I will flick through this brochure to see what is in it.
Alex
We should read up on local birds before our trip.
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We should read up on local birds before our trip.
Mai
Let us focus on the birds we might actually see.
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Let us focus on the birds we might actually see.
Alex
I will note down their names and the best places to look.
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I will note down their names and the best places to look.
Mai
At the end, we can sum up what we have learned.
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At the end, we can sum up what we have learned.
Compare the uses
Browsing and reading for information
“Flick through” stresses looking quickly through pages; “read up on” means read to learn about a topic. You can do one after the other, but browsing alone does not mean you have studied the subject.
Recording and summarising
“Note down” means record information to remember it; “sum up” means state the important points briefly. With pronouns, say “note it down” and “sum it up”. Keep the object after “on” in “focus on it”.
Practice and check your answers
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A situation to apply what you have learned
A visitor plans a birdwatching trip. She scans a leaflet first, researches the birds, and later explains only the main points.
Describe the quick first look.
Show the answer and explanation
She flicks through the leaflet.
The first look only scans the leaflet’s pages, so “flicks through” fits rather than detailed bird research.
Replace “the main points” with “them”: Sum up the main points.
Show the answer and explanation
Sum them up.
“Them” replaces the main points, so say “sum them up”, not “sum up them”.
Write a preparation plan using read up on.
Show the answer and explanation
I will read up on the local birds before our visit.
“Read up on the local birds” plans reading to learn about the birds before the visit.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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