ENGLISH
REFERENCE

go through sth

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to experience a difficult or unpleasant situation; you can also use this when you check something carefully.

phr. v.. to undergo a difficult period or experience; alternatively, to examine or search through a collection of items or a document systematically.


SIMPLE

She is going through a hard time at work.

CONTEXTUAL

We need to go through the contract one more time to make sure there are no mistakes.

COMPLEX

The nation is going through a period of profound economic transformation that requires citizens to adapt to new digital realities.

Particles
through
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
go + through + object
Usage

when meaning 'experience', the object is usually a negative event like a divorce, crisis, or surgery.

Teaching tip

help students distinguish between the physical sense (searching a bag) and the metaphorical sense (experiencing a hardship) by using different objects in drill exercises.

Pitfall

He went the documents through.He went through the documents.this phrasal verb is inseparable; the object must follow the particle 'through'.

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