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private instructor

private instructor

1 3.7
A person who teaches one student or a small group outside school, often at home
  • noun
  • /ˈpraɪvɪt ɪnˈstrʌktər/
translation icon : instructor privado
  • This is just a suggested list based on input from local private instructors and other music teachers.

Examples

  • But I have engaged a private instructor for you.

  • We want to give him a private "instructor" so he can succeed, but he refuses to do the work.

    Blog text (9)
  • Parents/guardians (13%) and private instructors (10%) were also cited as having the most significant impact for some students.

    Academic text (2003)
  • He practices daily with his private instructor, the great Doutreval of Dijon.

  • Teachers, private instructors, and/or administrators are encouraged to nominate their outstanding students by completing the nomination form available at www.menc.org.

    Academic text (2004)
  • A small group of students, as seventh graders, sought you out for help in a number of areas, including audition preparation, help with solos for contests, finding private instructors, and recommending recordings to help them assimilate style.

    Academic text (1991)
  • She hired a private instructor to improve her singing skills before the audition.

  • Many parents opt for a private instructor to help their children with school subjects.

  • After struggling with math, he decided to get a private instructor to give him extra support.

Synonyms

tutor
vsprivate instructor
99 1.8

A person who teaches one student or a small group privately

emphasizes teaching outside any formal institution rather than only subject focus

How Formal

professor
3.2
private instructor
1 3.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

private + instructor

The meaning 'a person providing individual or small-group tuition' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'private' (reserved for specific individuals or one-to-one) with 'instructor' (a teacher). This simple ADJ+NOUN composition is common across languages and follows straightforward English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Private instructor comes from the old practice of a teacher going to a student's home to teach them alone or in a very small group, so the lessons were taught 'in private' rather than in a public class. That's why private, meaning 'alone' or away from the class, and instructor, meaning teacher, together mean 'a teacher who gives one-on-one or small-group lessons outside school'.