teach
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to help someone learn a subject or a skill by giving them information or practice.
v.to impart knowledge or skill to a student; often used ditransitively with both a person and a subject as objects.
Simple“My father taught me how to ride a bike in the park last summer.”
In context“The professor taught advanced calculus to the undergraduates, focusing on practical applications in engineering and physics.”
UsageOften takes two objects: 'He taught the children (1) history (2)'.
PitfallHe taught me how to playing the guitar. He taught me how to play the guitar.After 'teach someone how to', use the base form of the verb, not the -ing form.
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to have a job as a teacher in a school or college.
v.to follow the profession of a teacher; used intransitively to describe one's occupation.
Simple“She has been teaching at the local primary school for ten years.”
In context“After retiring from the private sector, he decided to teach at the community college to share his industry experience with younger students.”
UsageUsed without an object to describe a career.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to make someone learn a lesson through a bad experience so they do not do it again.
v.to cause an individual to understand the negative consequences of an action through experience or punishment.
Simple“Losing his phone taught him to be more careful with his things.”
In context“The harsh winter taught the settlers that they needed to store significantly more grain than they had originally anticipated.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'that will teach you'.
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a casual way to address or talk about a teacher.
n.An informal term of address or nickname for a teacher.
Simple“Hey Teach, do we have any homework for the weekend?”
In context“The students affectionately referred to their history instructor as 'Teach' whenever they met him outside the formal classroom environment.”
Teacher's tipThis is very casual and can sometimes be seen as disrespectful depending on the school culture.
Synonyms
teach vs learn — Learn is the act of receiving knowledge, while teach is the act of giving it.
Usage teach students · teach subject
Possibly a variant of Thatch or Tack.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.