make clearly

USAGE SUMMARY

No, 'make clearly' is not correct or usable in written English. In written English, the phrase 'make clear' is correct. For example, "The professor made clear that the assignment was due by Friday."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

While blight exists, Mr. Fazio said, "some conditions are so subtle but so pervasive that it's going to be tough to make clearly defined visible improvements".

The New York Times

There are few expressions of humility or openness, even of the sort that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston managed to make clearly in a statement that welcomed the declaration enthusiastically.

The New York Times

Even police who make clearly illegal arrests -- such as arresting people who attempt to record the officers in public -- are rarely held accountable.

Huffington Post

As the GIFs make clearly evident, Tien-Min transformed the handpainted upper-case letters on her hands into their lower-case versions without modifying the shapes through external means.

Vice

As requested, we have replaced the blots to make clearly visible the stabilization of ARHGAP11A protein in serum‐starved, Cdh1‐depleted RPE‐1 cells, which helps exclude the possibility that elevated ARHGAP11A levels are due to a cell cycle synchronization artefact.

eLife

When making the plan, bear in mind the need to make clearly defined lines and to provide space for color and insertion of the item you're using to build the texture of the Rangoli.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

But his music making clearly suggested that he was on the mend from his health troubles.

The New York Times - Arts

The motivation behind this diagonal form will be soon made clearly.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

The use of transfinite induction is made clearly visible in the 1938 paper through an ordinal notation.

SEP

This will underscore any points you've missed or not made clearly, and may help anticipate your boss's response.

Forbes

The reports were made clearly better by her care".

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Instead of using the grammatically awkward phrase "make clearly", opt for the correct form "make clear". For example, "The instructions should make clear what steps to follow."

Common error

Avoid using the adverb "clearly" directly after the verb "make" when you intend to express clarity as a quality of something being created or communicated. Use the adjective "clear" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "make clearly" attempts to function as a verb phrase, where "make" is the verb and "clearly" is intended to modify it. However, this construction is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is to use the adjective "clear". As Ludwig AI suggests, "make clear" is the grammatically correct phrasing.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

32%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "make clearly" appears in various sources, it is considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI explicitly states that "make clear" is the proper form. The intention behind using "make clearly" is to express clarification or ensuring clear understanding, but this should be achieved using the correct phrase "make clear". Using correct phrase increases the quality and formality of your writing. While it appears in News & Media, Science, and Wiki sources, its overall frequency is rare due to grammatical errors. The more effective and correct alternatives are: "clearly state", "explicitly define", and "articulate clearly".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

make clear

Replaces the adverb with an adjective, which is grammatically correct in this context.

clearly state

Replaces "make" with "state", emphasizing directness and explicitness in conveying information.

explicitly define

Focuses on providing a precise and unambiguous definition.

articulate clearly

Emphasizes the ability to express oneself in a clear and understandable manner.

convey effectively

Shifts the focus to the successful transmission of a message or idea.

demonstrate clearly

Highlights the act of showing or proving something in an unambiguous way.

elucidate precisely

Suggests a detailed explanation that removes any ambiguity.

spell out explicitly

Indicates providing every detail to avoid confusion.

put across effectively

Focuses on successfully communicating a message or idea to an audience.

unambiguously express

Highlights the lack of any possible confusion in the communication.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "make clearly"?

The correct phrasing is "make clear". The word "clear" functions as an adjective describing what you are making.

Is "make clearly" grammatically correct?

No, "make clearly" is not grammatically correct. You should use "make clear" instead.

How can I use "make clear" in a sentence?

You can use "make clear" in a sentence like this: "The speaker wanted to make clear that this was just the first step."

What's the difference between "make clear" and "state clearly"?

"Make clear" implies clarifying something, while "state clearly" implies expressing something in an unambiguous way. The choice depends on whether the focus is on clarifying or expressing.