course

course¹ W1S1 [ko:s US ko:rs] n

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1 of course

2 of course not

3¦(education)¦

4¦(time)¦

5¦(development)¦

6¦(plans)¦

7¦(actions)¦

8¦(direction)¦

9 on course

10¦(meal)¦

11¦(sport)¦

12¦(medical treatment)¦

13 in (the) course of time

14¦(river)¦

15¦(wall)¦

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1.) of course

a) used to show that what you are saying is expected or already known and so not surprising

▪ You can pay by cheque, assuming of course you have a valid cheque card.

▪ Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

b) also course informal

spoken used to say yes or to give permission politely

▪ 'Can I have a word with you?' 'Of course.'

▪ 'Can you give me a lift?' 'Course, no problem.'

c) also course

spoken used to emphasize that what you are saying is true or correct

▪ Of course he'll come!

well/but of course

▪ Well of course I love you.

2.) of course not also course not

spoken informal used to say very strongly that something is not true or correct

▪ He asked his father if it was true. ' Of course not,' Jack said.

▪ 'You don't mind if I call her?' 'No, course not.'

3.) ¦(EDUCATION)¦

a) a series of lessons in a particular subject

American Equivalent: classdo a course

BrE take a course

▪ Andy's doing a one-year journalism course.

course on/in

▪ a course on architecture

▪ I'm taking a course in graphic design.

▪ 73 candidates enrolled on the course .

▪ For details, contact your course tutor .

b) BrE a period of study in a particular subject, especially at university

American Equivalent: programtake/follow a course

▪ Students following the Honours course are expected to study Islamic History.

degree/postgraduate etc course

▪ entry qualifications for degree-level courses

taught course

(=one which has formal lectures, rather than one in which a student studies alone)

→↑correspondence course, ↑crash course, ↑refresher course, ↑sandwich course

4.) ¦(TIME)¦ [singular]

a period of time or process during which something happens

during/in/throughout/over the course of sth

▪ During the course of our conversation, it emerged that Bob had been in prison.

▪ Over the course of the next few years, the steel industry was reorganized.

in the course of doing sth

▪ In the course of researching customer needs, we discovered how few families have adequate life insurance.

5.) ¦(DEVELOPMENT)¦ [singular]

the usual or natural way that something changes, develops, or is done

course of

▪ forces that shape the course of evolution

▪ Meeting Sally changed the whole course of his life .

in the normal/natural/ordinary course of events

▪ In the normal course of events, a son would inherit from his father.

take/run its course

(=develop in the usual way and reach a natural end)

▪ Relax and let nature take its course .

▪ It seems the boom in World Music has run its course.

▪ Gorbachev changed the course of Soviet history.

6.) ¦(PLANS)¦ [singular, U]

the general plans someone has to achieve something or the general way something is happening

▪ They will go to any lengths to get the White House to change course .

▪ He will steer a middle course between pacifism and revolution.

▪ As long as the economy stays on course , the future looks rosy.

7.) ¦(ACTIONS)¦ [C usually singular]

an action or series of actions that you could take in order to deal with a particular situation

▪ I agreed that this was the only sensible course of action .

take/decide on a course

▪ The judge took the only course of action open to him.

8.) ¦(DIRECTION)¦ [C usually singular, U]

the planned direction taken by a boat or plane to reach a place

▪ The plane changed course to avoid the storm.

on/off course

(=going in the right or wrong direction)

▪ The ship was blown off course .

▪ The aircraft was almost 10 miles off course.

▪ She tightened the mainsail while holding the course (=travelling in the same direction as planned) .

9.) on course

likely to achieve something because you have already had some success

on course for

▪ If he wins today, he's on course for the Grand Slam.

on course to do sth

▪ We're back on course to qualify for the championship.

10.) ¦(MEAL)¦

one of the separate parts of a meal

three-course/five-course etc meal

▪ The ticket includes entry and a four-course meal.

first/second/main etc course

▪ We had fish for the main course.

11.) ¦(SPORT)¦

an area of land or water where races are held, or an area of land designed for playing golf

▪ a particularly difficult course

▪ an 18-hole course

→↑assault course, ↑obstacle course

12.) ¦(MEDICAL TREATMENT)¦ especially BrE an amount of medicine or medical treatment that you have regularly for a specific period of time

course of injections/drugs/treatment etc

▪ a course of antibiotics

13.) in (the) course of time

after some or enough time has passed

= ↑eventually

▪ She'll get used to school in the course of time.

14.) ¦(RIVER)¦

the direction a river moves in

▪ The course of the water was shown by a line of trees.

15.) ¦(WALL)¦

a layer of bricks, stone etc in a wall

▪ a damp-proof course

→as a matter of course at ↑matter¹ (20), par for the course at ↑par, stay the course at ↑stay¹ (7), in due course at ↑due¹ (4)

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HINT sense 3

course is never followed by 'of': a course in English (NOT of English)

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course ²

course² v

1.) [I always + adverb/preposition] literary

if a liquid or electricity courses somewhere, it flows there quickly

▪ Tears coursed down his cheeks.

2.) [I always + adverb/preposition] literary

if a feeling courses through you, you feel it suddenly and strongly

▪ His smile sent waves of excitement coursing through her.

3.) [I and T]

to chase rabbits with dogs as a sport