At the B2 level, 'investigate' means to systematically search for information to understand an event, claim, or issue. It involves a detailed process to find facts and establish the truth.
For example, a detective might investigate a crime, or a scientist might investigate a new phenomenon. You gather evidence, ask questions, and analyze details to form a complete picture.
The goal is to discover what happened, why it happened, or how something works. It requires careful attention and a logical approach to problem-solving.
§ How to use it in a sentence — grammar, prepositions
The verb 'investigate' is a versatile word, commonly used to describe the act of inquiring into something deeply to discover facts or truth. Understanding its grammatical structure and typical prepositions is key to using it effectively in various contexts.
§ Transitive Verb: 'Investigate' + Noun/Pronoun
Most frequently, 'investigate' is used as a transitive verb, meaning it directly takes an object. This object is typically the incident, problem, or person being scrutinized.
The police were called to investigate the mysterious disappearance.
The journalist decided to investigate the corruption claims.
We need to investigate this issue further before making a decision.
§ Prepositions with 'Investigate'
While 'investigate' itself is usually transitive, prepositions come into play when you want to specify *who* is doing the investigating, *what methods* are being used, or *where* the investigation is taking place.
- Investigate + for
- This preposition is used to indicate the purpose or reason for the investigation, often focusing on what is being sought.
They will investigate the area for clues.
Scientists are investigating the new compound for potential medical uses.
- Investigate + into
- While 'investigate' is usually transitive without a preposition, 'into' can be used to emphasize a deeper, more thorough examination, especially when referring to a complex situation or matter. It's often interchangeable with direct object usage, but adds a nuanced emphasis on depth.
The committee decided to investigate deeply into the company's financial records.
We need to investigate into the causes of the system failure.
- Investigate + by
- This preposition is typically used in passive constructions to indicate the agent performing the investigation.
The incident will be investigated by an independent committee.
The claims are being investigated by a team of experts.
§ Common Phrases and Collocations
- To investigate a crime/case: This is a very common pairing, especially in legal and journalistic contexts.
Detectives are working tirelessly to investigate the crime.
- To investigate a complaint/allegation: Used when addressing grievances or accusations.
The company promised to investigate all customer complaints thoroughly.
- To investigate a phenomenon/theory: Often used in scientific or academic research.
Physicists continue to investigate the nature of dark matter.
- To investigate thoroughly/fully: Adverbs that emphasize the comprehensive nature of the inquiry.
The council assured the public that they would investigate the matter thoroughly.
How Formal Is It?
"The committee decided to probe the financial discrepancies within the organization."
"The police will examine the evidence collected at the crime scene."
"I need to check out that weird noise coming from the engine."
"Let's look into what happened to your lost toy, okay?"
"We need to scope out the new restaurant before we tell everyone about it."
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsWhile both involve looking for information, investigate often implies a more formal or systematic inquiry, often into a problem, crime, or incident, with the goal of establishing truth or facts. Research is generally broader, focusing on exploring a subject to gain knowledge, test theories, or discover new information.
Yes, absolutely! While it can be used for serious matters, you can also investigate more common situations. For example, you might 'investigate a strange smell' or 'investigate why your computer isn't working.' The core idea is still a detailed search for information to understand a situation.
Not always a 'problem' in a negative sense, but it does imply there's something unknown or needing to be understood. You might investigate a new opportunity, for instance, to gather all the facts before making a decision. So, it's about uncovering information to establish the truth, whether that truth is good, bad, or neutral.
The type of evidence you gather depends on what you are investigating. It could be physical evidence, documents, witness statements, data, reports, or observations. The goal is to collect anything that helps you understand the situation thoroughly and establish the truth.
It can be either! A single person can investigate a personal matter, like a faulty appliance. However, for more complex or formal inquiries, like a crime or a scientific phenomenon, it's often carried out by a team of people with different expertise, working together systematically.
While 'investigate' is usually used without 'into' (e.g., 'investigate the crime'), you might sometimes hear 'investigate into' something, especially in older texts or certain dialects. However, in modern standard English, simply using 'investigate' is more common and generally preferred.
Some common synonyms for investigate include 'examine,' 'explore,' 'look into,' 'probe,' and 'scrutinize.' Each might have slightly different nuances, but they all share the core meaning of looking closely to discover facts.
Often, yes. While the primary goal of investigating is to understand the situation and establish the truth, that understanding often leads to finding a solution or making a decision. For example, if you investigate the cause of a problem, you'll then be better equipped to fix it.
A 'systematic inquiry' means that the process of investigating is organized, methodical, and follows a logical order. It's not random; instead, it involves a planned approach to gather and analyze information, ensuring that all relevant aspects are covered to get to the truth.
No, investigate is primarily a verb. The noun form related to it is 'investigation.' For example, 'The police launched an investigation into the matter.'
Test Yourself 36 questions
The police are looking for clues about the cat.
Please find out the reason for the light problem.
Let's find out what is making the noise.
Read this aloud:
The detective will investigate the case.
Focus: in-VES-ti-gate
You said:
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Read this aloud:
I want to investigate how plants grow.
Focus: grow
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They will investigate the cause of the fire.
Focus: cause
You said:
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The police are looking into something.
Find out the reason for a problem.
Gather information about something new.
Read this aloud:
The detective decided to investigate the mysterious case.
Focus: investigate
You said:
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Read this aloud:
It's important to investigate all the options before making a decision.
Focus: important, investigate
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The scientist will investigate the effects of climate change.
Focus: scientist, investigate, effects
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The police had to ___ the mysterious disappearance of the ancient artifact.
To discover the facts of a mysterious disappearance, the police would need to carry out a systematic inquiry, which means to investigate.
It's the journalist's job to ___ the claims made by the politician before publishing the story.
A journalist must examine claims to establish the truth, which is the definition of investigate.
The company launched an internal ___ into the allegations of fraud.
An 'investigation' is the noun form of 'investigate' and refers to the formal inquiry itself. This fits the context of allegations of fraud.
Detectives were called in to ___ the unusual circumstances surrounding the theft.
To understand unusual circumstances, detectives would need to conduct a detailed search for information, which is to investigate.
Before making a decision, the committee decided to ___ all possible solutions thoroughly.
To examine all possible solutions thoroughly to understand them fully is to investigate them.
The scientist needed to ___ the data to find patterns and draw accurate conclusions.
To examine data in detail to discover facts and draw conclusions is to investigate it.
This sentence correctly orders the words to form a coherent statement about the police's action.
This sentence correctly orders the words to express the necessity of a thorough inquiry.
This sentence correctly orders the words to describe the purpose of the committee.
This sentence describes the act of authorities looking into an unusual event.
This sentence emphasizes the importance of a complete examination of clues.
This sentence highlights the in-depth work of a journalist examining a difficult case.
This sentence places the adverb 'thoroughly' before the verb it modifies, 'investigate,' and the adjective 'complex' before the noun 'financial scandal,' maintaining a natural English sentence structure.
This sentence correctly orders the introductory clause and the main clause, with 'it's crucial to investigate' clearly stating the necessity of the action.
This sentence correctly uses the passive voice 'was tasked to' followed by the infinitive 'investigate,' and 'subtle nuances' correctly modifies 'evidence.'
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
Example
I need to investigate why the kitchen sink keeps leaking even after I fixed it.
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