ENGLISH
REFERENCE

refer to sb/sth as sth

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to use a specific name or title for someone or something.

phr. v.. to use a particular word or phrase to describe or name a person or thing; often used in the passive voice to indicate established terminology.


SIMPLE

He refers to his car as 'The Beast'.

CONTEXTUAL

The local residents often refer to the old park as the heart of the community.

COMPLEX

In academic circles, scholars often refer to this period as the Golden Age of literature due to the high volume of influential works produced.

Particles
to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
refer + to + object + as + complement
Usage

requires the preposition 'to' after the verb and 'as' before the name or description.

Teaching tip

this is a three-part structure; ensure students do not omit 'as', which functions here to introduce the complement.

Pitfall

They refer the city like a paradise.They refer to the city as a paradise.the verb 'refer' requires 'to' for the object and 'as' for the description.

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