it refer

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it refer" is not correct in English.
The correct form would be "it refers." You can use this phrase when discussing what something indicates or points to, typically in a context where clarification is needed. Example: "In the document, when it refers to the budget, it highlights the areas where we need to cut costs."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

In the 'Predicted substitution' column, the letter preceding the amino acid position refers to the reference HPV16 sequence and the letter after it refer to the substitution.

BMC Infectious Diseases

Does it refer to anything?

The Guardian - Books

To what did it refer?

The New York Times

To what might it refer?

The New York Times

To whom does it refer: Gary Barlow?

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Did it refer obliquely to the Kingdom?

The New York Times

Does it refer to a particular genre of music or a certain soundscape?

The Guardian

People who use it refer to it as "smoking wet" or "wetting it up".

The New York Times

Or does it refer only to people who identify themselves as lesbian or gay?

The New York Times

Nor did it refer to "bringing our (Dutch) values into confrontation with people who think otherwise".

The New York Times

Could it refer to Colombia's indigenous Kuna people, who have a swastika on their flag?

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the grammatically correct form "it refers" instead of "it refer" to ensure clarity and accuracy in your writing.

Common error

Ensure that the verb agrees with the subject. The pronoun "it" requires the third-person singular verb form, so always use "refers" instead of "refer".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it refer" attempts to function as a verb phrase where "it" is the subject and "refer" is the verb, but fails due to subject-verb agreement. As Ludwig indicates, the correct form is "it refers."

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "it refer" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "it refers". According to Ludwig, the error is with subject-verb agreement. While the intended meaning—to indicate a connection or association—may be clear from context, using the correct form enhances clarity and credibility, especially in formal and scientific writing. If you need an alternative there are many possibilities such as "it relates to" or "it pertains to".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it relates to

Substitutes "refer" with "relates", implying a connection or association.

it indicates

Uses "indicates" instead of "refer", suggesting something points to a specific meaning.

it alludes to

Replaces "refer" with "alludes", suggesting a more indirect reference.

it pertains to

Uses "pertains" instead of "refer", indicating a relevant connection.

it points to

Substitutes "refer" with "points to", implying direction or focus.

it signifies

Employs "signifies" to mean "refer", highlighting the meaning or importance.

it denotes

Replaces "refer" with "denotes", indicating a direct and specific meaning.

it concerns

Employs "concerns" to mean "refer", suggesting a topic or subject.

it speaks of

Replaces "refer" with "speaks of", indicating a mention or discussion.

it highlights

Uses "highlights" instead of "refer", emphasizing importance or focus.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "it refer"?

The correct grammatical form is "it refers". The verb must agree with the singular pronoun "it".

What does "it refers to" mean?

The phrase "it refers to" means that something is making a connection to or alluding to something else. For example, "The chapter it refers to the causes of climate change".

What can I use instead of "it refers to"?

You can use alternatives like "it relates to", "it pertains to", or "it indicates" depending on the context.

Is "it refer" ever correct?

No, "it refer" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is always "it refers".