generate an understanding

USAGE SUMMARY

"generate an understanding" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means to create or develop a level of comprehension or knowledge about something. Example: The teacher's explanation of the complex topic helped to generate an understanding among the students.

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Academia

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

Considers context: Since live prototyping occurs in context, it helps generate an understanding of how environmental and situational factors affect the appeal or visibility of a solution.

Harvard Business Review

Sustainable livelihood assessment is intended to generate an understanding of the role and impact of a project on enhancing and securing local people's livelihoods.

Columbia University

Thus it can help to generate an understanding of the implications of design decisions for the performance of the manufacturing system in different product demand scenarios.

Procedia CIRP

Judging by William's discussion, there was some debate at the end of the eleventh century as to whether signification required that a spoken word actually, as opposed to merely potentially, generate an understanding in the mind of a hearer.

SEP

For example, a main category under the name "assessment methods of English ability" was created to generate an understanding of how the participants evaluated their potential employees' English levels in terms of their ability to do work that involved English.

Language Testing in Asia

By analyzing the words that contribute most significantly to the sentiment score produced by each sentiment dictionary we are able to identify words that are problematic for each sentiment dictionary at the word-level, and generate an understanding of the emotional texture of the movie review corpus.

EPJ Data Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

Recent work has aimed at generating an understanding of how competing miRNA targets regulate each other, and work, in particular by Chiu et al.20 and by Xu et al.21, has shown how these effects can be uncovered in a high-throughput manner.

Nature

William accepts the standard medieval definition of signification: a sound is significant if it generates an understanding in the mind of a hearer.

SEP

Actual signification is too strong a criterion, but every sound potentially generates an understanding, even if only in the mind of the person uttering it.

SEP

Taken together, these codes supported generating an understanding of the degree of match between instructional priorities among the Head Start agency and the Head Start teachers.

International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy

However, and this is where Althusser's Spinozism becomes apparent and also where he breaks with economistic understandings of Marx, it is not the case that the analysis of any one mode of production within the totality of productive practices is capable of generating an understanding of the way in which all rest of the productive processes are causally determined.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "generate an understanding" when you want to emphasize the process of creating knowledge or comprehension, especially when dealing with complex subjects or new information. This phrase is suitable for academic, professional, and general writing contexts.

Common error

Avoid using "generate an understanding" in contexts where simpler phrases like "understand" or "learn" would suffice. Overusing the phrase in simple situations can make your writing sound overly formal or pretentious. Be mindful of your audience and the tone of your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "generate an understanding" functions as a verb phrase with a noun, indicating the action of creating or producing comprehension. Ludwig examples show it used in various contexts to describe the development of knowledge.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

60%

Academia

25%

News & Media

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "generate an understanding" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression that emphasizes the action of creating or producing comprehension. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is appropriate for various writing contexts, including academic, scientific, and professional domains. While versatile, it's essential to avoid overuse in simpler contexts where more straightforward words suffice. Related phrases, such as "develop an understanding" and "foster an understanding", offer nuanced alternatives depending on the specific intent. Its frequent use in scientific and academic sources highlights its suitability for formal and analytical discussions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Develop an understanding

Replaces "generate" with "develop", focusing on a gradual process.

Create an understanding

Replaces "generate" with "create", implying a more deliberate construction.

Build an understanding

Suggests a gradual accumulation of knowledge to form understanding.

Foster an understanding

Uses "foster" to suggest actively promoting comprehension.

Provide an understanding

Changes the focus to offering or giving comprehension to someone.

Cultivate an understanding

Similar to foster, emphasizing careful growth and development.

Promote an understanding

Focuses on raising awareness and spreading comprehension widely.

Encourage an understanding

Implies inspiring or supporting the development of comprehension.

Facilitate an understanding

Highlights the act of making understanding easier or more accessible.

Instill an understanding

Emphasizes planting an idea firmly in someone's mind.

FAQs

How can I use "generate an understanding" in a sentence?

You can use "generate an understanding" to describe the process of creating knowledge or comprehension. For instance, "The professor's lecture aimed to generate an understanding of quantum physics among the students".

What are some alternatives to "generate an understanding"?

You can use alternatives like "develop an understanding", "foster an understanding", or "create an understanding depending on the context.

Which is correct, "generate an understanding" or "gain an understanding"?

"Generate an understanding" emphasizes the creation of comprehension, while "gain an understanding" focuses on acquiring it. The choice depends on whether you're highlighting the creation or the acquisition of knowledge.

What's the difference between "promote an understanding" and "generate an understanding"?

"Promote an understanding" focuses on spreading or encouraging existing comprehension, while "generate an understanding" is about initiating or creating that comprehension in the first place. "Promote an understanding" implies there is already some understanding to build upon.