cause to underline

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "cause to underline" is not commonly used in written English and may sound awkward.
It could be used in contexts where you want to indicate the action of prompting someone to emphasize something, but it is not a standard expression. Example: "The teacher wanted to cause the students to underline the key points in their notes."

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

To that end, the Life Savers centennial campaign, which is featured on the Life Savers Web site at life-savers.com, includes a philanthropic component, called Connect for a Cause, to underline the campaign's theme, "100 years of sharing".

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The study was focused on social causes in general — but "protecting the environment" ranked as the No.1 cause, helping to underline the concern about the environment among Asians.

The New York Times

Weary of his reputation as a stylist, he tried, in his way, to tell it all straight, to write nothing that might cause a reader to underline a phrase or dog-ear a page.

The New Yorker

When you are trapped by impaired thinking,the most important thing is to underline the possible causes.

WikiHow

Later this month the first Tory MPs will be dispatched on a programme of voluntary service, with backbenchers encouraged to 'roll up their sleeves' and spend a week working with a charity to underline the commitment to noble causes.

The Guardian

It gives him a chance to underline U.S. positions and to remove any cause of misunderstanding.

Los Angeles Times

On Thursday he told senators it was not "stubbornness" that caused him to press the confidence votes, but a desire to underline publicly each lawmaker's responsibility to make reforms that he said were "urgently needed".

The New York Times

A spiritual voice is urgently needed to underline the fact that global warming is already causing human anguish and mortality in our nation and abroad, and much more will occur in the future without rapid action.

HuffPost

The causes of their deaths have not yet been ascertained, and Leicestershire Police were keen to underline that their enquiries are still at an early stage.

Independent

The location was chosen to underline the message that all of Peacekeeper's profits will be donated to causes that benefit women.

The New York Times - Magazine

The aim of our report is to underline how this condition must be considered by physicians, paediatricians and anaesthetists as an important cause of airway obstruction.

Auris Nasus Larynx

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming to emphasize a point, consider using stronger, more direct verbs such as "highlight", "underscore", or "emphasize" without the need for "cause to" construction. This enhances clarity and impact.

Common error

Avoid using the construction "cause to underline" when simpler, more direct verbs can effectively convey the intended emphasis. Overusing indirect causative phrases can dilute the message and make your writing sound less assertive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "cause to underline" functions as a causative construction, indicating that one action or event leads to another action of underlining or emphasizing something. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase can sometimes sound awkward and may be improved by more direct phrasing.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

25%

Science

25%

Wiki

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

25%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "cause to underline" functions as a causative construction, indicating that one action leads to another action of underlining or emphasizing something. Ludwig AI suggests that while grammatically acceptable, it may sound awkward. Analysis reveals it’s more impactful and direct to employ stronger verbs like "highlight" or "emphasize" instead, enhancing clarity. The phrase appears in news, media, scientific and wiki sources. Consider alternatives such as "prompt to emphasize" or "encourage to underscore" to avoid verbosity and improve communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

make someone highlight

A simpler and more direct way of expressing the idea of causing someone to highlight something.

prompt to emphasize

Replaces "cause to underline" with a more direct verb indicating the action of encouraging emphasis.

encourage to underscore

Uses "encourage" as a softer form of causation and "underscore" as a synonym for "underline".

lead to highlighting

Changes the focus to the result of the action, implying that the action results in highlighting.

motivate to stress

Implies a stronger internal drive to emphasize something, using "motivate" and "stress" as alternatives.

result in emphasizing

Focuses on the consequence of an action, where emphasizing is the outcome.

compel to emphasize

Conveys a sense of obligation or necessity in emphasizing something.

instigate to highlight

Suggests initiating the action of highlighting, often implying a subtle or indirect influence.

drive to underscore

Uses "drive" to indicate a strong force leading to the act of underscoring.

spur to emphasize

Implies a sudden encouragement or incitement to emphasize something.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "cause to underline" for better clarity?

Consider using alternatives like "prompt to emphasize", "encourage to underscore", or "make someone highlight" for more directness.

Is "cause to underline" grammatically incorrect?

While not strictly incorrect, "cause to underline" is less common and can sound awkward. It's often better to opt for more concise and direct phrasing.

What's the difference between "cause to underline" and simply "underline"?

"Underline" directly indicates the action of emphasizing. "Cause to underline" implies prompting or instigating someone else to perform that action, which can be verbose if you are simply emphasizing something yourself.

In what contexts might "cause to underline" be most appropriate?

This phrase might be appropriate when you want to specifically highlight the act of influencing someone to emphasize something, rather than just the act of emphasis itself. For instance, "The teacher wanted to cause the students to underline the key points in their notes".