2
general::
noun topic or person under consideration ADJ. big, complex, vast | simple | excellent, fascinating, good, interesting | cheerful Can we talk about a more cheerful subject? | gloomy, unpleasant | delicate, difficult, embarrassing | taboo Work is a taboo subject when we go out for dinner. | closed I don't wish to discuss it any further?the subject is closed. | chosen Each candidate has to speak for three minutes on their chosen subject. | pet Once he gets onto his pet subject there's no stopping him. VERB + SUBJECT cover, debate, discuss, talk about, touch on We touched briefly on the subject. | deal with I wasn't quite sure how to deal with the delicate subject of money. | examine, have a (fresh) look at, investigate, look into We want to have a fresh look at the difficult subject of social security benefits. | bring up, broach, get onto, raise | drop Let's drop the subject since we don't seem to be able to agree. | stick to I wish he'd stick to the subject rather than telling us his boring stories. | get off, wander off She was supposed to be speaking about sales figures, but she kept wandering off the subject. | get back to, return to Getting back to the subject of heating, has anyone got any suggestions for improvements? | avoid | change Don't change the subject. SUBJECT + VERB arise, come up The subject of gambling has come up several times recently. SUBJECT + NOUN matter I like the way she writes, although I'm not interested in her subject matter. PREP. on a/the ~ While we're on the subject of the theatre, has anyone been to see the new show? PHRASES a range of subjects We discussed a wide range of subjects. area of study ADJ. difficult, easy | compulsory, core, main | additional, optional, special, subsidiary | specialist | arts, science | academic VERB + SUBJECT take What subjects are you taking at A level? | offer The department offers seven different subjects in all. | fail (in), pass She was disappointed to fail in two of her four subjects. | drop SUBJECT + NOUN area The syllabus is divided into five subject areas. PREP. in a/the ~ He did well in every subject. PHRASES a choice of subject/subjects His unusual choice of subjects made it harder to find a job. | a range of subjectsNOTEsubjects of studydo, read, study ~do ~ is more commonly used with school subjects (but may also be used with university subjects): She did maths, physics and chemistry at school.study ~ is used with both school and university subjects: He studied German at school. She went on to study mathematics at university.read ~ is only used with university subjects and is quite formal: She was educated privately and at Pembroke College, where she read classics.lecture in, teach ~ He taught music at a school in Edinburgh.Other verbs used with subject can also be used with particular subjects of study: Half the students take geography at A level. We offer accounting as a subsidiary course.~ degree, a degree/diploma in ~ a law degree a higher diploma in fine art~ class, course, lecture, lesson The genetics lectures are on a different campus.~ department, a/the department of ~ All enquiries should be made to the Department of Architecture.~ graduate, student, undergraduate Some architecture graduates gain further qualifications in specialist fields.~ lecturer, teacher, tutor He's an English teacher at Highland Road School.~ professor, (a) professor of ~ She's professor of linguistics at the University of Wales.the study of ~ The study of philosophy helps you to think critically.in ~ He got As in history and art., adj. subject to sth likely to be affected by sth VERBS be, seem | become | leave sb/sth, make sb/sth His illness left him subject to asthmatic attacks. ADV. very | increasingly | rather | still At this stage these are proposals and are still subject to change. under the authority of sb/sth VERBS be Everyone was entirely subject to the whim of the Sultan. | become | remain | make sb/sth All the priories were made directly subject to the abbot of Cluny. ADV. entirely | directly | expressly
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
6
general::
subject
verbs
discuss/talk about a subject
• Have you discussed the subject with your husband?
change the subject
(= start talking about something different )
• She tried to change the subject.
mention a subject
• The subject was not mentioned again.
deal with/cover a subject
(= speak or write about it )
• The subject is dealt with in great detail in his previous book.
touch on a subject
(= say or write a little about it )
• In his speech, he touched on the subject of death.
bring up/raise a subject
(= deliberately start talking about it )
• You brought the subject up, not me.
get onto a subject
(= happen to start talking about it )
• We somehow got onto the subject of detective stories.
broach a subject
(= start talking about a sensitive subject )
• She hesitated, wondering exactly how to broach the subject of their sleeping arrangements.
get back to a subject
• Somehow I just knew in the end we would get back to the subject of money.
drop a subject
(= stop talking about it )
• To her relief, Julius dropped the subject.
avoid/keep off/stay off a subject
(= not talk about it )
• I knew he was trying to avoid the subject of drugs. • She hoped that Anna would keep off the subject of Luke for the next few hours.
get somebody off a subject
(= make them talk about something else )
• It was difficult to get him off the subject of cars.
a subject comes up
(= people start talking about it )
• The subject of payment never came up.
adjectives
an interesting/fascinating subject
• Fame is a fascinating subject.
a difficult/complex subject
(= very complicated )
• Immigration is a complex subject.
a controversial subject
• The content of the curriculum has become a controversial subject.
a sensitive/touchy subject
(= one that people may get upset about )
• Steer clear of complicated issues or sensitive subjects.
a delicate subject
(= one that may be embarrassing )
• She carefully avoided discussing the delicate subject of money.
a taboo subject
(= one that it is not acceptable to mention )
• For them, death was not a taboo subject.
phrases
a subject of/for discussion
• TV is a favourite subject for discussion.
a subject of conversation
• She searched for a new subject of conversation.
a subject of/for debate
(= a subject people discuss and disagree about )
• The reason for the increased risk of cancer is still a subject of debate.
a subject of controversy
(= a subject people disagree about strongly )
• Nuclear power is still the subject of considerable controversy.
a subject area
(= a group of related subjects )
• He has written a lot in this subject area.
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