encourage understanding

USAGE SUMMARY

"encourage understanding" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is usually used to express the idea of promoting or supporting the development of understanding between people or about a certain topic. It can also be used to suggest the idea of actively working towards fostering mutual understanding and empathy. Example: Our school has implemented a program to encourage understanding among students from different cultural backgrounds.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

"We encourage understanding from any employer in this situation, but there is no set allowance for bereavement leave," she said.

BBC

Ilham Tohti, an economist and writer at Minzu University in Beijing, hosted the website Uighur Online, meant to encourage understanding between Han Chinese and ethnic Uighurs in the sprawling but remote northwestern region between Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Los Angeles Times

We at HuffPost Pollster, along with places like FiveThirtyEight and the New York Times Upshot, discourage freaking out over single polls and encourage understanding the differences between poll methods and why that matters.

Huffington Post

Such interactions require that students know the type of questions to ask to check understanding, and the types of things to say to encourage understanding.

Educational Psychologist

Established by the United Nations (UN) in 1954, Universal Children's Day aims to promote the welfare of children everywhere and to encourage understanding between children all over the world.

Unicef

Ms. Bonnette began an on-line campaign to encourage understanding of people who defend anorexia, but she did not start the petition itself.

The New York Times - Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

He encourages understanding the book because it provides a fresh social perspective to addresses current fundamental American political and racial problems.

Wikipedia

Coaching supervision is a trainee driven process assisted by encouragement from coach whose knowledge and skills towards encouraging understanding and utilisation of the newly obtained knowledge and skills [ 15].

BMC Medical Education

His interest in Middle East peace led him to help set up the Glenn E. Watts Cultural Center in Jerusalem, which encourages understanding between Jews and Arabs in Israel's labor federation.

The New York Times

The Astrid Lindgren prize is for work that "promotes peace, democracy and a humanist spirit and encourages understanding and exchanges between cultures and people", in honour of the Pippi Longstocking author's own values.

The Guardian - Books

Then he said that pictures had helped raise our standard of living, had encouraged understanding among men, and had, because of their merit and integrity, contributed to social progress.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "encourage understanding" when you want to express the idea of promoting empathy between people.

Common error

Avoid using "encourage understanding" when the situation calls for more direct action or intervention; understanding alone may not be sufficient to resolve a problem.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "encourage understanding" functions primarily as a verb phrase, often used to describe actions intended to foster comprehension or empathy. It highlights the act of promoting insight, as shown in Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

25%

Less common in

Wiki

15%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "encourage understanding" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression that conveys the idea of promoting comprehension and empathy. Ludwig AI confirms its usability and appropriateness across diverse contexts, including news, science, and formal communications. While alternatives such as "foster understanding" and "promote understanding" exist, they carry slightly different nuances. When using the phrase, clarity about the subject needing understanding is key. This analysis underscores that "encourage understanding" serves as a valuable tool for inspiring positive change and fostering mutual respect in various settings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Foster understanding

Focuses on nurturing and developing understanding over time.

Promote understanding

Emphasizes active measures to advance understanding.

Cultivate understanding

Suggests a deliberate and careful effort to grow understanding.

Facilitate comprehension

Highlights making comprehension easier.

Nurture comprehension

Focuses on caring for and developing understanding.

Inculcate understanding

Suggests instilling understanding through repetition.

Advance comprehension

Highlights progression and improvement in understanding.

Deepen understanding

Emphasizes making understanding more profound.

Develop insight

Focuses on building intuition and perceptive understanding.

Build awareness

Emphasizes creating a general understanding or knowledge of something.

FAQs

How can I use "encourage understanding" in a sentence?

You can use "encourage understanding" to describe actions that promote comprehension or empathy, such as "The program aims to "encourage understanding" between different cultures".

What are some alternatives to "encourage understanding"?

Some alternatives include "foster understanding", "promote understanding", or "cultivate understanding", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "encourage understanding" or "encourage to understand"?

"Encourage understanding" is generally preferred because it's more concise and grammatically sound. "Encourage to understand" is less common and can sound awkward.

What's the difference between "encourage understanding" and "promote awareness"?

"Encourage understanding" focuses on fostering comprehension and empathy, while "promote awareness" aims to increase general knowledge or recognition of an issue.