to help us understand

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'to help us understand' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use this phrase when you want to convey that gaining knowledge or insight on something will benefit the reader or the audience. For example, "In this article, we will explore the history of the internet to help us understand its development over the years."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Qualitative interviews will be used to help us understand how the intervention is used and experienced.

BMC Psychiatry

"They were just using that law to help us understand what the concepts meant to other countries, and to help us understand whether our understanding of our own constitutional rights fell into the mainstream of human thinking".

The New York Times

In Systems Biology, we can use the networks of protein interactions to help us understand highly complex cellular processes.

F1000Research

To help us understand these results, consider a simple pictorial model.

The New York Times

The idea was to give students some local context to help us understand different worldviews.

The Economist

"We were looking at various models to help us understand what we were doing as psychiatrists.

The New York Times

His brilliant, highly audible forms exist not as entertainment, but to help us understand difficult truths.

Independent

That led to some information to help us understand the inner circle of Silk Road.

The Guardian - Tech

Art is there to help us understand ourselves as human beings.

The Guardian - Arts

She doesn't have enough resources as a performer to help us understand this character.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

That's what Humanities is there for--to help us understand: What are we doing?

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "to help us understand", ensure the context clearly indicates what 'us' refers to. Avoid ambiguity by specifying the group or audience intended to benefit from the understanding.

Common error

Avoid using "to help us understand" without a clear antecedent for 'us'. Ensure the reader knows exactly who is meant to gain the understanding.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to help us understand" functions as an infinitive of purpose. It clarifies the reason or objective behind an action, indicating that the action is intended to facilitate comprehension. Ludwig AI confirms this phrase is appropriate in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Science

41%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "to help us understand" serves as a purpose connector, commonly used to introduce explanations or analyses. Ludwig AI validates its correct usage in various contexts, ranging from news and media to scientific research. It indicates an intention to facilitate comprehension for a specific audience, with its frequency highlighted by its presence in authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Guardian. While versatile, ensuring a clear reference for 'us' is crucial for avoiding ambiguity. Alternatives such as "to aid our understanding" or "to facilitate our comprehension" offer similar meanings but with slightly different emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

to aid our understanding

Replaces "help" with "aid" and maintains the same core meaning.

to better comprehend

Adds "better" to emphasize improvement in understanding.

to facilitate our comprehension

Substitutes "help" with "facilitate" and "understand" with "comprehension", emphasizing ease of understanding.

with the intent to understand

Emphasizes the intention or goal of understanding something.

for the purpose of understanding

Rephrases to emphasize the intention behind the action.

to gain insight into

Shifts focus from understanding to acquiring insight.

as a means of understanding

Highlights the method or tool being used for understanding.

to promote understanding

Focuses on fostering understanding in others.

in order to grasp

Uses "grasp" as a more active synonym for "understand".

to clarify our view

Focuses on clarifying perspective rather than general understanding.

FAQs

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

You can use "to help us understand" to introduce a reason or purpose for explaining something. For example, "We will analyze the data "to help us understand" the trends."

What are some alternatives to "to help us understand"?

Alternatives include "to aid our understanding", "to facilitate our comprehension", or "for the purpose of understanding".

Is it correct to say "to help us understanding" instead of "to help us understand"?

No, "to help us understand" is the correct form. "Understand" should be used as the base form of the verb after "help". "Understanding" is a gerund or noun form and is grammatically incorrect in this context.

What's the difference between "to help us understand" and "to make us understand"?

"To help us understand" implies assisting in the process of comprehension, while "to make us understand" suggests forcing or compelling understanding. The former is collaborative, the latter can be authoritarian.