to illuminate the issue
1
4.9
- phrasal verb
- /ɪˈluːməˌneɪt ði ˈɪʃu/
:
aclarar el tema
- His detailed explanation helped illuminate the issue of voter fraud during the debate.
Examples
-
This is not meant as a criticism of Kittay, because she seems right that only a narrative as personal and detailed as hers could adequately illuminate the issues of asymmetrical dependency on which she focuses.
Fiction book (2002) -
This essay provides a framework for understanding the connection between water and gender, with examples from Latin America that illuminate the urgency of these issues.
Academic text (2008) -
I will draw upon my own story in this article because it illuminates the issues and process of assuming an identity.
Academic text (2001) -
Insights of the writers further illuminate many of the issues that color that experience.
Academic text (1990) -
The contributors to this exchange have admirably illuminated the pressing issues and problems to which Smith's work is addressed.
Academic text (2001) -
In political and policymaking circles, a primary criterion for good information is relevance—does it deal directly with the question at hand? Does it illuminate the issue in ways that point to solutions?
Academic text (2003) -
Our purpose in the present study was to illuminate the following two issues: how affection exchange differs in men's relationships with biological and nonbiological sons and how affectionate behavior of fathers differs from that of sons.
Academic text (2003) -
The teacher used a diagram to illuminate the issue of climate change for her students.
-
The report aims to illuminate the issue of economic inequality in our society.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make something clear by describing it in simple words
248
3.3
To make something clear so others can understand it
79
4.2
To give more details or explain something more fully
51
4.8
To make something clear or easier to understand
30
3.7
Make a fact or situation easier to understand
30
3.6
Shows what a person, place, or thing is like
26
3.9
To help people understand something by explaining it
26
3.9
To show information people do not know
20
7.3
Explain something in detail so people understand it
12
3.9
Help people understand a topic more clearly
12
4.1
To make a problem or issue clear and known to many people
11
6.8
To explain something so it is easy to understand
7
5.1
To make something easier to understand by removing mystery or confusion
7
6.3
To put information into its background so people understand it better
3
7.4
To explain something clearly in detail
1
8.1
To light something or make it easier to understand
To explain a difficult idea so someone understands
Antonyms
How Clear
1
4.9
∞
1.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
illuminate + the + issue
The verb 'illuminate' already carries the sense 'to clarify/explain' and 'issue' means a topic or problem, so the phrase's meaning is directly and transparently derived from its constituents; the definite article 'the' is semantically light. This compositional pattern (use of a verb meaning 'clarify' + a topic) is common cross-linguistically and would be immediately clear to a B1 learner who knows the component words.
Etymology
Illuminate the issue comes from the simple image of using light: to illuminate means to shine light and an issue is a topic. If you shine a light on something dark you can see the details, so the phrase means 'to clarify' or 'make clear'.