EXPERIENCE
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something that happens to you
when you know a lot about
something
U something that happens to you
experience ik spi^rions [n C) something that happens to you or something that you do. especially something unusual or important that you remember and learn frcm: Hannah later wrote a book about her experiences as о шаг reporter + of Tonight on Channel 1, young people will be discussing their experiences of racism.
Have an experience During her trip she had several frightening experiences. good/bad experience Living alone has been a good experience for her
adventure vent., o' [n C/Ul a situation in which exciting and dangerous things happen to you: My grandfather used to tell us about his adventures as a sea captGin during the war 1 As a young man he went off to Africa, looking for adventure.
u something bad that happens to you
bad experience ted ik sp^ians/ (n C|
something that happens to you that is unpleasant, frightening, or dangerous: Don t let one bad experience put you off travelling altogether. I She described childbirth as the worst experience of her life.
nightmare ,"naftmeor [n С usually singular] a very unpleasant or very frightening experience: Starting school can be a real nightmare for some children. I She describes the war years as 'one long nightmare'.
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ordeal ;o:r'di:l, :>:rdi:l [n C] a painful, frightening, or worrying experience, especially one that continues for a long time: The hostages have now been released, and are recovering from their ordeal in а military hospital
when something happens to you
happen to sb /'haepan tu: (sb)/ I phrasal verb T] if something happens to you, it affects you and you are involved in it, but you did not do anything to make it happen: The crash wasn't your fault. It could have happened to anyone. I
Meeting Penny was the best thing that ever happened to me.
experience ik'spi^riDns [v T] if you experience something, especially an emotion, a physical feeling, or an unpleasant situation, it happens to you: When you first tried a cigarette, you probably experienced a feeling of dizziness. I help for people who are experiencing unemployment problems I It was the first time she had ever experienced real poverty.
go through sth /'g3о 6ru: (sth)/ [phrasal
verb T] to live through a difficult or unhappy period: Clare's been through a lot lately, so we should all try to help her. Qgo through, hell spoken (=have a very unpleasant time) He's been going through hell in the two years since his daughter died.
when you know a lot about something because you have done it before
see also job, work, good s, в
experience /[k'spi^ans/ [n U) the knowledge and skill you get from doing something, especially a job, for a long time have experience She's very bright and ambitious but she doesn't have much experience.
experience of (doing) sth She has plenty of experience of dealing with difficult situations.
teaching/secretarial/political etc experience On/y people with five years' secretarial experience can apply for the job. previous experience (=experience you have gained 'already in a previous job)
Have you any previous experience of working in a restaurant9 gain experience (=get experience) Fran is gaining valuable experience working for her father's firm.
Remember that in this meaning experience js uncountable. Don't say things like 'I have an experience as a teacher' or '! have experiences as a teacher'
experienced /ik'spi^risnst/ [adj] someone who is experienced knows a lot about a job or activity because they have done it for a long time: Ms Carter is one of our most experienced teachers. experienced in (doing) sth This job would suit someone experienced in dealing with the public. highly experienced (=very experienced) Dr Blake is highly experienced in microsurgery.
when you have not done something before
inexperienced /.mik'spwriansH/ [adjl
someone who is inexperienced does not know much about a job or activity, either because they have not done it at all or because they have done it for only a short time: Inexperienced managers often have problems with their staff. I There are a lot of young, inexperienced players on the team.
LEARN
\ г
see also
i
TEACH
be new to sth /bi: njui tu: (sth)||-'nu:-/ if you are new to a job or activity, you do not have much experience of doing it because you have only just started it: As you are new to the job, we don't expect you to work as fast as the others.
EXPLAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
CLEAR/ NOT CLEAR
UNDERSTAND/NOT UNDERSTAND
to explain something
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EXPLAIN
explain /ik'splein/ [v \/T] to give someone the information they need to understand something: It's very simple really - I'll
Don't say 'explain me how/what etc'. . Say explain how what etc: Can you explain what I need to do?
Qtell /tel/ [ v t] especially spoken to explain to someone how something works or how to do something
A
tell sb how/what etc Can you tell me how to log on to the computer? I The leaflet tells you what to do if you get malaria
Don't say 'tell to someone'. Say tell
someone
Don't say 'please teach me' when you are asking someone to explain something to you. Say please tell me •
telling - told - have told
show /J*)/ [и T] to explain to someone how to do something by doing it while they watch you
show sb how to do sth Can you show me how to use your camera? show sb what to do One of the other members of the class showed her what to do.
show sb sth The programme showed you the best way to cook asparagus. show sb "How do you change the speed of the drill?" "Let me show you."
demonstrate /'demanstreit/ [и 1Я] to
Don't say 'explain me the rules' or 'I explained her the rules' etc. Say explain
the rules to me-
show someone how to do something by doing it while they watch you, especially when it is your job to show people how to do things: The ski instructor began by demonstrating the correct way to turn. + how A trainer came in to demonstrate how the new computer system worked