illustrating

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "illustrating" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to the action of providing an example or explanation to make something clearer or more easily understood. For example: "The teacher provided an illustration of the concept by drawing a diagram on the board."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Security measures including gates and internal doors elicited a similar response, with residents illustrating that "defensible space" can increase fear of strangers.

The Guardian

For this series, I have based my reading on the paperback Norton Critical edition (edited by Donald Pizer), which seems now to be accepted as the most reliable text – not least because it addresses in fascinating detail the furore surrounding the first printing of Sister Carrie, as well as illustrating the variations between Dreiser's first draft and the 1900 edition.

The Guardian - Books

But as police maintained watch on people shopping and strolling in parks, Zimbabwe seemed to be illustrating the idea that nothing, like something, happens anywhere.

The Guardian

(Still, at the beginning of the 21st century, a leading European economic magazine doggedly insisted on illustrating a piece about Poland with a peasant riding on a cart. Today, carts are to be seen in museums).

The Guardian

It includes a map illustrating press freedom around the world.

The Guardian

Pros: here's a page illustrating how other teachers have used it.

The Guardian

The report by the detention centre manager Serco, obtained by Guardian Australia includes statistics illustrating how long detainees have been held in detention and the rate of self harm over time.

The Guardian

Although more than half (57.5%) of the people attending the centre were foreign nationals who did not have permission to reside in the UK, the charity said on average, patients had already been living in the country for six-and-a-half years, illustrating that they are not "health tourists" travelling to the UK for the purpose of free medical treatment.

The Guardian

The young man shot back that Mr Obama recently endorsed a trade deal with Peru, perhaps illustrating a stealth fondness for low trade barriers".Part of the reason I am for some trade bills is so that I can be against others", he replied, explaining that supporting a modest trade pact will give him the credibility to fight a larger deal with South Korea that lacks necessary labour standards.

The Economist

This variability of outcome helps explain why so many employers have been keen to discontinue defined benefit (DB) plans; under such schemes, they were required to make up any shortfall.Another way of illustrating the problem comes in a paper from GMO, a fund-management company.

The Economist

You now see that small stories are being told.This is less a play than a series of choreographed vignettes illustrating how teenagers are stereotyped and underestimated.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "illustrating", ensure the example or explanation directly supports the point you are making. Be specific and avoid vague connections.

Common error

Avoid using "illustrating" to introduce examples that don't clearly support your argument or point. Ensure the connection is obvious and relevant to the reader.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "illustrating" is that of a present participle, often used to form continuous verb tenses or as a participial adjective modifying a noun. Ludwig contains multiple examples of this.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Formal & Business

28%

Science

28%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "illustrating" functions as a versatile present participle, frequently employed to introduce examples or explanations that clarify and support a central argument. According to Ludwig AI, its grammatical status is correct. It appears most commonly in news and media, formal business contexts, and scientific writing. When using "illustrating", it's crucial to ensure that examples are relevant and directly support the intended message. Alternatives such as "demonstrating", "exemplifying", and "showing" can be used depending on the context to provide a very close semantic equivalence. All of the examples available on Ludwig highlight how versatile and useful this term is.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

demonstrating

Emphasizes the act of showing or proving something clearly through evidence or example.

exemplifying

Highlights the use of a specific instance to represent a general principle or concept.

showing

A more general term for presenting something visually or through evidence.

depicting

Focuses on representing something in a visual or descriptive manner.

elucidating

Suggests making something clear and easily understood through detailed explanation.

clarifying

Focuses on removing ambiguity and making something easier to understand.

highlighting

Emphasizes certain aspects to make them more noticeable or understandable.

portraying

Suggests representing someone or something in a specific way, often with a particular intention.

representing

Focuses on standing in for or symbolizing something else.

giving an example of

More verbose, it makes explicit that the goal of the phrase is to produce one instance that represents the whole.

FAQs

How do I use "illustrating" in a sentence?

Use "illustrating" to introduce an example or explanation that clarifies a point. For example, "The graph is useful, "illustrating" the correlation between the two variables."

What can I say instead of "illustrating"?

You can use alternatives like "demonstrating", "exemplifying", or "showing" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "illustrating" or "to illustrate"?

"Illustrating" is the present participle and is used as part of a continuous verb tense or as an adjective. "To illustrate" is the infinitive form and is used to express purpose or intention. Choose the form that fits the grammatical structure of your sentence.

What's the difference between "illustrating" and "explaining"?

"Illustrating" provides a specific example to clarify a concept, while "explaining" provides a more detailed description or reasoning. "Illustrating" is a subset of explaining; an illustration often forms part of a larger explanation.