首先一个数据集

library(tidyverse)

#built-in R dataset 
glimpse(msleep)

## Observations: 83
## Variables: 11
## $ name         <chr> "Cheetah", "Owl monkey", "Mountain beaver", "Grea...
## $ genus        <chr> "Acinonyx", "Aotus", "Aplodontia", "Blarina", "Bo...
## $ vore         <chr> "carni", "omni", "herbi", "omni", "herbi", "herbi...
## $ order        <chr> "Carnivora", "Primates", "Rodentia", "Soricomorph...
## $ conservation <chr> "lc", NA, "nt", "lc", "domesticated", NA, "vu", N...
## $ sleep_total  <dbl> 12.1, 17.0, 14.4, 14.9, 4.0, 14.4, 8.7, 7.0, 10.1...
## $ sleep_rem    <dbl> NA, 1.8, 2.4, 2.3, 0.7, 2.2, 1.4, NA, 2.9, NA, 0....
## $ sleep_cycle  <dbl> NA, NA, NA, 0.1333333, 0.6666667, 0.7666667, 0.38...
## $ awake        <dbl> 11.9, 7.0, 9.6, 9.1, 20.0, 9.6, 15.3, 17.0, 13.9,...
## $ brainwt      <dbl> NA, 0.01550, NA, 0.00029, 0.42300, NA, NA, NA, 0....
## $ bodywt       <dbl> 50.000, 0.480, 1.350, 0.019, 600.000, 3.850, 20.4...

选取列

msleep %>%
  select(name, genus, sleep_total, awake) %>%
  glimpse()

## Observations: 83
## Variables: 4
## $ name        <chr> "Cheetah", "Owl monkey", "Mountain beaver", "Great...
## $ genus       <chr> "Acinonyx", "Aotus", "Aplodontia", "Blarina", "Bos...
## $ sleep_total <dbl> 12.1, 17.0, 14.4, 14.9, 4.0, 14.4, 8.7, 7.0, 10.1,...
## $ awake       <dbl> 11.9, 7.0, 9.6, 9.1, 20.0, 9.6, 15.3, 17.0, 13.9, ...

根据列名特点选择列

msleep %>%
  select(name, starts_with("sleep")) %>%
  glimpse

## Observations: 83
## Variables: 4
## $ name        <chr> "Cheetah", "Owl monkey", "Mountain beaver", "Great...
## $ sleep_total <dbl> 12.1, 17.0, 14.4, 14.9, 4.0, 14.4, 8.7, 7.0, 10.1,...
## $ sleep_rem   <dbl> NA, 1.8, 2.4, 2.3, 0.7, 2.2, 1.4, NA, 2.9, NA, 0.6...
## $ sleep_cycle <dbl> NA, NA, NA, 0.1333333, 0.6666667, 0.7666667, 0.383...

msleep %>%
  select(contains("eep"), ends_with("wt")) %>%
  glimpse

## Observations: 83
## Variables: 5
## $ sleep_total <dbl> 12.1, 17.0, 14.4, 14.9, 4.0, 14.4, 8.7, 7.0, 10.1,...
## $ sleep_rem   <dbl> NA, 1.8, 2.4, 2.3, 0.7, 2.2, 1.4, NA, 2.9, NA, 0.6...
## $ sleep_cycle <dbl> NA, NA, NA, 0.1333333, 0.6666667, 0.7666667, 0.383...
## $ brainwt     <dbl> NA, 0.01550, NA, 0.00029, 0.42300, NA, NA, NA, 0.0...
## $ bodywt      <dbl> 50.000, 0.480, 1.350, 0.019, 600.000, 3.850, 20.49...