Meaning & use
intensive class
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A course taught in a short period with many hours of instruction each day.
Grammar: Countable; use an or the before it, and plural intensive classes for more than one.
Patterns
- take an intensive class
- an intensive class in something
She took an intensive class in Spanish before her trip to Mexico.
The university offers intensive classes during the summer break.
An intensive class can cover a whole semester's material in four weeks.
Word forms
| plural | intensive classes |
|---|
Common combinations
- take an intensive class
- He took an intensive class to prepare for the exam.
- intensive language class
- The school runs intensive language classes in July.
- intensive summer class
- Intensive summer classes meet four hours a day.
- an intensive class in business English
- She signed up for an intensive class in business English.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crash course
- More informal and suggests very fast learning; intensive class is neutral and often part of a school program.
- immersion course
- Focuses on being surrounded by the language or subject all day; an intensive class may be intense without full immersion.
Opposites
Word family
- intensively adverb
- In a way that involves a lot of effort or activity in a short time.
- intensity noun
- The strength or seriousness of something.
Commonly confused: intensive class or intense class?
intensive class vs intense class
Intense means very strong or serious, often about feelings or experiences. Intensive means concentrated and with many hours.
Practice
She learned French quickly by taking an ___ class every morning for six weeks.
Choose one answer.
Intensive describes a course with many hours in a short time. Intense would describe the class as emotionally strong, which is not the usual meaning here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intensive class”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.