Meaning & use
language lab
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A room or facility with audio and computer equipment where students practice listening to and speaking a foreign language.
Grammar: Countable, so you can say 'a language lab' or 'two language labs'.
Patterns
- in the language lab
- use the language lab
- a language lab session
Every Tuesday our French class meets in the language lab to work on pronunciation.
The new language lab has individual booths with headphones and recording software.
She spent an hour in the language lab listening to native speakers.
Word forms
| plural | language labs |
|---|
Common combinations
- in the language lab
- We practiced our dialogue in the language lab.
- language lab session
- The language lab session focused on intonation.
- use the language lab
- Students can use the language lab after school.
- language lab equipment
- The school upgraded its language lab equipment last year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- language laboratory
- The full, more formal term for the same room; 'language lab' is the shortened everyday version.
- media lab
- A room with computers and media tools, not specifically for language learning.
Word family
- language laboratory noun
- The formal full form of 'language lab'.
Commonly confused: language lab or linguistics lab?
language lab vs linguistics lab
A linguistics lab is for scientific research on language, while a language lab is for students practicing a language.
Practice
Students go to the ______ to practice listening and speaking.
Choose one answer.
'Language lab' is the standard countable noun and fits after 'the'. 'Language labs' is plural and would need a plural verb like 'are', and 'languagelab' is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “language lab”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.