ENGLISH
REFERENCE

put it

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford

phr. v.. to express or say something in a specific way.

phr. v.. to articulate or formulate a thought, opinion, or fact using a particular choice of words; typically used with an adverbial of manner.


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.

Particles
it
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
put + it + adverb
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.

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