go through — examine or check something carefully
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to look at or check something carefully, often to find information or make sure everything is correct.
Say it like a native
Textbook I must scrutinise every document in this file.
Native I need to go through all the paperwork.
'Go through' is the everyday verb for working through items one by one. 'Scrutinise every document' is heavy.
Pattern: go through something
In use
- I need to go through these documents before the meeting.study
- Before submitting my essay, I always go through it to check for mistakes.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Let me go through with my emails first.
✓ Let me go through my emails first.
'Go through + thing' (examine) takes no 'with'. 'Go through WITH something' means actually do it.
Common collocations
go through + items— the mail, the files, the list, the accounts
Don't confuse it
Different from 'go over', which can be a quick review.
Related
- go through (experience something difficult or unpleasant) — Another meaning of 'go through' is 'experience something difficult or unpleasant'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.