practice train exercise

Practice/Train/Exercise – What’s the difference in meaning?

Vocabulary / By

Practice, training, and exercise have slightly different meanings but all three words are involved in improving and learning skills.

Training is a more general term for a course of practicing and learning to improve in an area of expertise.

Practice is when you take one specific part of your training and repeat one skill over and over until you become proficient.

An exercise is an activity that you can use to practice your skill. (Exercise is also the general name for physical activity)

Training Meaning and Examples

Training generally means a course of learning and practicing to achieve some goal. 

Sports teams often have training a few times a week to help practice the skills and learn tactics so they can perform in the game. 

Workers often have a training course so that they can learn more about a certain topic or how to behave in a certain situation.

Animals can also train to behave better and perform certain tasks.

I have a training course on Microsoft Excel this week at work.

We have football training 3 times a week.

Your dog needs to be trained to sit down.

Practice Meaning and Examples

Practice is when you learn how to do something but then you need to repeat the activity so that you are able to perform it.

You can practice a language, a musical instrument, a specific skill in sport, or your lines if you are performing in a play.

Think about when you are learning English, you need to learn vocabulary but you need to practice speaking English to improve your speaking skills.

I practice speaking English every day.

I practice my violin 5 times a week. 

You need to practice your shooting more.

Exercise Meaning and Examples

An exercise is an activity that is designed so that you can practice your skills. 

In music, this could be practicing a scale. In sport, this could be a drill with cones. In languages, this could be practicing your grammar with an exercise on prepositions. 

You need to do exercises 1 and 2 on prepositions for homework.

Can you do an exercise on the C minor scale for homework?

“Exercise” also means to do physical activity so that you keep your body in good shape. 

Exercise is good for the mind and body.

Exercise can help you lose weight.

Conor
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