comprehension
understanding of something
The state of understanding something in your mind.
[someone]'s comprehension of [something]
- Her comprehension of the problem improved after the teacher explained it again.
- The instructions were so unclear that they were beyond my comprehension.
- The exam mainly tested students’ comprehension of the main ideas in the article.
- Good subtitles can really help viewers’ comprehension of foreign films.
- There was a clear lack of comprehension among staff about the new policy.
- His comprehension of the story is very good.
- The teacher checked our comprehension of the text with some questions.
- This long sentence is hard for my comprehension.
- I listened to the news, but my comprehension was low.
- We did a listening task to practice our comprehension.
general capacity to understand
How able someone is, in general, to understand things.
[someone] has [limited / good] comprehension
- The book is written for readers of average comprehension.
- Teachers must adapt their explanations to the children’s level of comprehension.
- For someone of his age, his comprehension is remarkable.
- The legal text is far beyond the comprehension of most teenagers.
- Patients with reduced verbal comprehension may need extra support.
- Some students have poor comprehension and need more help.
- The test is difficult for children with low comprehension.
- Her comprehension is very high for her age.
- This TV show is made for viewers with basic comprehension.
- We must think about the level of students’ comprehension when we choose a text.
set of defining features of a term
In logic or linguistics, all the ideas or qualities that together make the meaning of a word.
the comprehension of [a term]
- In traditional logic, the comprehension of a concept consists of the attributes it implies.
- The term’s comprehension has changed over time as social attitudes shifted.
- We distinguish between the comprehension of a predicate and its extension.
- Some philosophers argue that the comprehension of natural kind terms is partly fixed by experts.
- The paper carefully analyzes the comprehension of the word in different legal systems.
- In this class we talk about the comprehension of words in logic.
- The comprehension of a word is the group of ideas inside its meaning.
- We must not mix the comprehension of a term with its extension.
- The comprehension of this concept is very rich and complex.
- Changes in culture can change the comprehension of a word.
- Base: comprehension
- Plural: comprehension, comprehensions
aid comprehension
1help understanding
To make it easier for people to understand something.
- Diagrams can greatly aid comprehension of complex processes.
- The use of clear headings helps aid comprehension.
beyond comprehension
1too hard to understand
So difficult or strange that people cannot understand it.
- The cruelty of the crime was beyond comprehension.
- Such levels of corruption are beyond comprehension for most citizens.
beyond my comprehension
1too hard for me to understand
Too difficult or strange for me to understand.
- How anyone could do such a thing is beyond my comprehension.
- The success of that terrible movie is beyond my comprehension.
for ease of comprehension
1to make it easy to understand
To make something simpler so that people can understand it more easily.
- The data are shown in a chart for ease of comprehension.
- Headings have been added for ease of comprehension.
listening comprehension
1understanding spoken language
How well someone understands what they hear in a language.
- My listening comprehension is weaker than my speaking.
- Watching movies without subtitles can improve your listening comprehension.
reading comprehension
1understanding written texts
How well someone understands what they read.
- The test measures students’ reading comprehension, not their speed.
- Good vocabulary is essential for strong reading comprehension.
reading comprehension
1Understanding written text
The skill of understanding what you read.
- The test measures vocabulary and reading comprehension.
- Children improve their reading comprehension by discussing stories.
- The article was too difficult for my current reading comprehension level.
test comprehension
1check someone’s understanding
To check how well a person understands something.
- The teacher used a short quiz to test comprehension after the lecture.
- Questions at the end of each chapter help test comprehension.