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If a child doesn't understand a certain topic a teacher sometimes says:

Just give it a read and come to me tomorrow if you don't get it.

Is "give it a read" natural in this context? Does it sound too slangy for a teacher or is a teacher likely to use it?

What about:

Just read it once.

Just go through it once.

Does "read it once" sound better than "give it a read"?

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"Just go through it once" sounds fine.

"Just read it once" does not sound natural. It might be said, but there are other, likelier options.

"Just give it a read" is definitely casual, but not necessarily too casual for a teacher to use with a student (that's really a question about teaching styles, more than language styles, but in short most American teachers do not speak particularly formally).

A more likely phrase would be, "give it a try," as long as it's clear from context that "trying" means "reading."

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    So is "give it a read" natural? Is it likely to be used? Aug 20, 2019 at 17:16
  • @It'saboutEnglish, "give it a read" is somewhat natural, but not as likely as "give it a try", "give it a shot" or "give it a go."
    – Juhasz
    Aug 20, 2019 at 17:49
  • Somewhat natural? So isn't it likely to be used? Aug 20, 2019 at 17:55
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    Give it a read, give it a look, give it a look-see, give it a once-over. All of these are acceptable idioms with varying degrees of applicability.
    – John Doe
    Aug 20, 2019 at 18:32
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