Phrasal verb
put it
Definition
phrasal verb. to express or say something in a specific way.
phrasal verb. to articulate or formulate a thought, opinion, or fact using a particular choice of words; typically used with an adverbial of manner.
Examples
“To put it simply, we need more money.”
“As the manager put it during the meeting, the company is facing a very difficult year.”
“The philosopher's latest essay is, to put it bluntly, a complete rejection of everything he argued for in his earlier career.”
Examples
simple
“To put it simply, we need more money.”
contextual
“As the manager put it during the meeting, the company is facing a very difficult year.”
complex
“The philosopher's latest essay is, to put it bluntly, a complete rejection of everything he argued for in his earlier career.”
Usage
almost always followed by an adverb (like 'simply', 'mildly', or 'bluntly') to describe the style of speaking.
Teaching tip
this is a fixed idiomatic use of 'put' where 'it' is a dummy object representing the statement being made; it is a useful tool for signposting a summary or a change in tone.
Pitfall
To put simply, the plan failed.
To put it simply, the plan failed.
the pronoun 'it' is a mandatory part of this expression and cannot be omitted.
Phrasal verb
Particles
it
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
put + it + adverb
Synonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/put-it