to help understand

USAGE SUMMARY

"to help understand" is a correct phrase that can be used in written English.
For example, you could say "I've included a chart to help understand the trends in our sales figures."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Development professionals often use participatory tools to help understand disasters.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

The Health Belief Model is employed to help understand results.

Journal of Hydrology

data are used to help understand Merlin nesting biology.

Cornell University

The model was used to determine the material properties and to help understand the behaviour measured.

Construction and Building Materials

Psychologists, anthropologists and behavioural scientists studied human behaviour to help understand mental development.

The Economist

And street-outreach workers will survey people to help understand why they are homeless.

The New York Times

Meta-analyses are useful to help understand large amounts of data from different trials.

The New Yorker

"I read and reread the book to help understand my own relationship to history," she said.

The New York Times - Books

Several Earth-science satellite missions were being used to help understand sea-level rise.

Encyclopedia Britannica

To help understand the differentiation mechanism, shoot development was studied over time in both shoot phases.

Annals of Botany

Online surveys are uniquely positioned to help understand the human factors contributing to non-compliance.

Journal of the Association for Vascular Access

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "to help understand" when you want to introduce an explanation or clarification. For example, "A diagram is included to help understand the process."

Common error

Avoid using phrases that are already implied in the context. For example, instead of saying "The explanation is provided to help understand the topic", simply state "The explanation is provided" as the purpose is usually self-evident.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to help understand" functions as an infinitive of purpose, indicating the reason or intention behind an action. Ludwig confirms that the phrase serves to introduce explanations or clarifications, as demonstrated by examples found in the provided data.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

43%

News & Media

34%

Academia

6%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

1%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "to help understand" is a versatile and common construction used to introduce explanations and clarifications. As Ludwig shows, it functions as an infinitive of purpose, with a neutral register that suits various contexts, from scientific reports to news articles. It's most frequently used in science and news domains. While grammatically correct, writers should be mindful of redundancy and ensure the phrase adds value to the sentence. Alternatives like "in order to comprehend" or "to facilitate understanding" can add nuance or formality, depending on the specific communication goal. Ludwig AI validates that the phrase is suitable for use in written English.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

to facilitate understanding

Replaces "help" with "facilitate", making the phrase more formal.

in order to comprehend

Replaces "help" with "order" and "understand" with a more formal synonym "comprehend".

to promote comprehension of

Focuses on the action of making others understand.

so as to grasp

Uses "so as to" instead of "to help" and a more informal verb "grasp" for "understand".

in an attempt to understand

Highlights the effort involved in understanding something.

for the purpose of understanding

Emphasizes the intention of understanding, adding a layer of formality.

with the aim of comprehending

Similar to the previous one, focusing on a specific aim.

to clarify the understanding of

Focuses on making something clearer, adding a specific nuance.

for better comprehension

A shorter and more direct way of expressing the same idea.

to gain insight into

Shifts the focus from understanding to gaining deeper insight.

FAQs

How can I use "to help understand" in a sentence?

You can use "to help understand" to introduce an explanation or clarification, such as "A chart is included to help understand the data trends".

What are some alternatives to "to help understand"?

Alternatives include phrases like "in order to comprehend", "to facilitate understanding", or "for the purpose of understanding".

Is "to help understand" formal or informal?

"To help understand" is generally considered neutral and can be used in a variety of contexts, from informal to professional. The tone can be adjusted based on the surrounding language.

What's the difference between "to help understand" and "to ensure understanding"?

"To help understand" suggests assistance in the process of understanding, whereas "to ensure understanding" implies a guarantee or higher level of certainty that understanding will occur. They are subtly different in their emphasis.