The search for knowledge is central to British life. In fact, four of the world’s top ten universities can be found here. Every year, huge amounts are invested in science and research in this country… so why is knowledge so important to Great Britain?
Oxford has been a place of learning for hundreds of years and more world leaders have been educated here than any other university. This is the Old Schools Quad, which is part of the famous Bodleian Library, at the heart of this historic establishment.
A quad or quadrangle is a courtyard with buildings on all sides. Oxford University is made up of thirty-eight different colleges. There are twenty thousand students studying here, from nearly a hundred and fifty countries.
Dr Sally Mapstone is Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education.
Richard: Sally. Tell me about Oxford University.
Sally: Oxford University is one of the world's leading universities. It's highly international, it's very modern and it has a great sense of history.
Richard: And how old is it?
Sally: The university has been here for nine hundred years. Many of the colleges are almost as old as that too, though some of them were established in the twentieth century.
Richard: You've had a lot of famous names here over the years.
Sally: Yes, we've had a lot of famous people at Oxford, from prime ministers, such as Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson, David Cameron, US presidents, such as Bill Clinton, writers, such as Oscar Wilde, and even film stars, such as Hugh Grant.
Richard: So why is it, do you think, that the search for knowledge and education is so important to Great Britain?
Sally: Great Britain and universities like Oxford have always had a rich interest in critical enquiry. By that I mean the search for knowledge, the investigation of truth, the asking of questions. Whether it's to do with drama, to do with development, or even to do with disease, we're always asking the big questions to try and change things for the better.
There are universities all across the UK but they're not the only places where you can gain knowledge.
Comments
Hi Rilton,
Thanks for your complement about LearnEnglish; I'm glad you like our work here.
You are correct that many unique places use 'the' in their names. Richard talks about the Bodleian Library, for example and we also refer to hotels (The Grand Hotel), theatres (The Globe), seas (The North Sea) and rivers (The Thames) using the definite article.
However, it's not true that all places use 'the'. Oxford University is also a unique place, but we don't use 'the' when we say or write it. The same is true of cities, streets etc. So you can see that places are one of the most difficult areas for the use of articles. You can read a bit more about there on this page about the use of 'the' in English.
To get back to your question, what about 'Old Schools Quad'? Well, I had to double-check it, which shows you how hard this area of English is, but it is usually used with 'the'. So, the transcript is correct and Richard probably missed out a word when speaking, although what he said doesn't sound particularly wrong to me. Remember that most people don't speak in perfect sentences, so there are times when we had to make a decision about whether to keep the transcript exactly the same as what was spoken or change it slightly so that our users could read perfect English.
As for Sally, I can actually hear her say 'are' at 1:55, although it's very quick.
Best wishes,
Adam
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi, Adam!
So the right for the case of "Old Schools Quad" is to use the definite article "the". I got it.
About Sally, I still can't hear her say "are". I inclusively put less speed to the video. But well, if you say that she says "are"...
Thank you very much.
I heard one of the famous university is Oxford. the university has many college and students in the world. They are a very smart and intelligent student.
It`s gorgeous!!!! I hope my daughters can study there next year. The problem is that it is so expensive. But I want give them the best. Bye!!!!!
O.K. If I had a new life I would spend it at Oxford University! In the present my life (I'm seventy), though .....never say never..., it's too late for me! I'm happy just trying to learn a bit of English! Thanks so much for your "job".
Answer D: its research projects] should be one of the answers. Richard and Sally mentioned research several times in the video.
I will be visiting Oxford someday! i wish!
Thanks I can watch now??//
I am going to study in Oxford university soon, thanks for giving me information about it..,,,...
Nine hundred years old. Well, It's absolutely fantastic! Oxford is a famous and important university.I'll visit it when I travel to Britain. And I also hope to visit Cambridge.
The University Of Saint Paulo is the most important university in Brazil. It is the best university in Latin America...
i can't see the video!!!!! :(((((((((((
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