pore over — study intently
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to look at or read something very carefully and for a long time, especially to understand details or find information
Say it like a native
Textbook She scrutinised the documents for several hours.
Native She pored over the documents for hours.
'Pore over' is the natural verb for studying something intently; 'scrutinise' is formal.
Pattern: pore over something
In use
- She spent hours poring over the contract before signing it.study
- In my opinion, students who pore over textbooks for hours often achieve better exam results, but it can also lead to burnout if they don’t take breaks.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She poured over the documents.
✓ She pored over the documents.
It's 'pore over' (study closely), not 'pour' (liquid) — a very common spelling slip.
Common collocations
pore over + text— the documents, the map, old letters, the data
Don't confuse it
Unlike 'look at' or 'read', 'pore over' suggests deep, careful study, not just casual reading or glancing.