specialise in something/doing
Advanced Chunks – Category 7

Meaning

to concentrate on and become an expert in a particular area

Primary Function

indicates specialized focus or expertise

Communicative Purpose

to describe professional or academic concentration

Pattern

specialise in

Core Structure

specialise in

Função primária

indicates specialized focus or expertise

Propósito comunicativo

to describe professional or academic concentration

Situações de gatilho

CVs, introductions, company descriptions

Contextos

professional, academic

Padrão

specialise in

Estrutura central

specialise in

Slots de substituição

area, subject, or activity

Colocados típicos

  • particularly
  • highly
  • concentrate
  • a firm specialising in

Substituições comuns

  • focus on
  • concentrate on
  • be an expert in

Erros comuns

using infinitive: *specialise to work; using *specialise on

Similar / contraste

concentrate on, focus on, be proficient in

Interferências

French 'se spécialiser dans' – positive transfer; German 'sich spezialisieren auf' – might cause misuse of preposition

Família do chunk

  • concentrate on
  • dedicate to
  • be an expert in
  • focus on

Nuance

‘specialise in’ signals a defined area of expertise, stronger than ‘focus on’

Efeito pragmático

projects professionalism and credibility

Dica de memória

specialise in expertise

Nota

The 'specialise in' chunk is used to indicate a specific area of expertise, often used in professional and academic contexts to highlight one's skill set or the focus of an institution.

Upgrade path

use ‘niche down into’ in business slang, but formally stick to ‘specialise in’

Frequência: HighFormulaicidade: Semi-fixedTipo de construção: PhrasePrioridade de aquisição: Automatic productionPrioridade de output: BothTag de espaçamento: Immediate

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