Study or Learn?

English language learners use the verbs “study” and “learn” all the time. Yet, they often are unsure which to choose in a situation. Our subject today comes from Salah of Yemen. The writer asks:

Question:

I would like to know the difference between “study” and “learn.” Thanks!

                                                                                                                                                                – Salah, Yemen

Answer:

Hello, Salah, and thanks for your note!

Let’s begin with the dictionary meaning of each word. These are from the Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary:

To study means to read, memorize facts or attend school in order to learn about a subject.

To learn means to gain knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught or experiencing something.

So, studying is just one way of learning. But it is not the only way.

Learn

Sometimes, we learn through experience. For example, if you travel to Thailand, you can visit a lot of sights, try the traditional foods and talk to the local people. By the time you leave, you will have gained a lot of knowledge about the country. So, you can say, “I learned so much about Thailand!”

You could not say, “I studied so much about Thailand!” because your actions did not mainly involve reading, memorizing facts, taking a course, attending school or something similar.

Study

In addition, when you study something, you have not learned it yet.

But maybe you had difficulty with this and still do not know how to speak the language. In that situation, you could not say, “I learned English,” because that would mean you had gained enough knowledge to use it.

Examples

If the difference between “learn” and “study” is not clear yet, here are a few sentences that compare them:

They learned how to write stories in the new writing class.

They spent time studying the techniques of story-writing.

Where did you learn how to bake so well?

Did you study baking in school?

And one last tip for remembering the difference is this expression: “I studied but I did not learn anything.”

And that’s Ask a Teacher. I’m Alice Bryant.

Maybe you are an average(中等的) student. You probably think you will never be a top student. But anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here’s how.

Plan your time carefully. When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule(时间表) of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. Don’t forget to leave enough time for fun. A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will make you realize what is happening to your time.

Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study place. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or televisions! When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

Make good use of your time in class. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says. Really listening in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.

Develop a good attitude about tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be over worried.

There are other ways that might help you with your studying. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

Your dog is barking (吠), but you can’t hear it! Your best friend is telling you a joke, but you can’t catch it! How terrible! The people who have hearing loss (失聪) are considered deaf.

It’s not easy being deaf, and although some kids are born deaf, many others lose their hearing later on. So it’s important to know how to be a good friend with anyone in the Deaf Community (群落). Here are some ways.

Be patient and do not give up on a friend of hearing loss. If you repeat what you are saying loudly, and it isn’t helping your Deaf friend. Try to write it down or use body language.

Also, remember that deafness isn’t the same as being stupid (笨). Deaf kids are just as smart as anyone else. Don’t treat your Deaf friends like they are not very smart. Though they can’t hear you, there’s nothing wrong with their head.

Don’t forget about texts, e-mails and so on. These are much better ways to keep in touch with your Deaf friend than phone calls. If the two of you can sign (打手语), a video call is great!

It’s fun to communicate with others. We should support all of our friends, and make new ones!