Phrasal verb
refer to sb/sth as sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to use a specific name or title for someone or something.
phrasal verb. 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.
Examples
“He refers to his car as 'The Beast'.”
“The local residents often refer to the old park as the heart of the community.”
“In academic circles, scholars often refer to this period as the Golden Age of literature due to the high volume of influential works produced.”
Examples
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.”
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
refer + to + object + as + complement