illustrate
verb OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈɪləstreɪt/
/ˈɪləstreɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they illustrate | /ˈɪləstreɪt/ /ˈɪləstreɪt/ |
| he / she / it illustrates | /ˈɪləstreɪts/ /ˈɪləstreɪts/ |
| past simple illustrated | /ˈɪləstreɪtɪd/ /ˈɪləstreɪtɪd/ |
| past participle illustrated | /ˈɪləstreɪtɪd/ /ˈɪləstreɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form illustrating | /ˈɪləstreɪtɪŋ/ /ˈɪləstreɪtɪŋ/ |
- to use pictures, photographs, diagrams, etc. in a book, etc.
- illustrate something She illustrated her own books.
- illustrate something with something His lecture was illustrated with photos taken during the expedition.
Extra ExamplesTopics Literature and writingb2- The new edition is heavily illustrated with photographs of aircraft.
- a collection of photographically illustrated magazines
- a beautifully illustrated book
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- copiously
- generously
- heavily
- …
- by
- with
- to make the meaning of something clearer by using examples, pictures, etc.
- illustrate something To illustrate my point, let me tell you a little story.
- Last year's sales figures are illustrated in Figure 2.
- He is showing these silent films to help illustrate his story of survival.
- illustrate something with something Each topic is illustrated with concrete examples of economic practice.
- illustrate how, what, etc… Here's an example to illustrate what I mean.
Language Bank illustrateillustrateReferring to a chart, graph or table- This bar chart illustrates how many journeys people made on public transport over a three-month period.
- This table compares bus, train, and taxi use between April and June.
- The results are shown in the chart below.
- In this pie chart, the survey results are broken down by age.
- This pie chart breaks down the survey results by age.
- As can be seen from these results, younger people use buses more than older people.
- According to these figures, bus travel accounts for 60% of public transport use.
- From the data in the above graph, it is apparent that buses are the most widely used form of public transport.
Language Bank processprocessDescribing a process- This diagram illustrates the process of paper-making./This diagram shows how paper is made.
- First/First of all, logs are delivered to a paper mill, where the bark is removed and the wood is cut into small chips.
- Next/Second, the wood chips are pulped, either using chemicals or in a pulping machine.
- Pulping breaks down the internal structure of the wood and enables/allows the natural oils to be removed.
- Once/After the wood has been pulped, the pulp is bleached in order to remove impurities. /…is bleached so that impurities can be removed.
- The next stage is to feed the pulp into the paper machine, where it is mixed with water and then poured onto a wire conveyor belt.
- As the pulp travels along the conveyor belt, the water drains away. This causes the solid material to sink to the bottom, forming a layer of paper.
- At this point the new paper is still wet, so it is passed between large heated rollers, which press out the remaining water and simultaneously dry the paper/…dry the paper at the same time.
- The final stage is to wind the paper onto large rolls./Finally, the paper is wound onto large rolls.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- amply
- aptly
- brilliantly
- …
- serve to
- attempt to
- seek to
- …
- by
- to
- to show that something is true or that a situation exists synonym demonstrate
- illustrate something The incident illustrates the need for better security measures.
- illustrate how, what, etc… This story illustrates how little has changed.
- illustrate that… These data illustrate that many parents are not aware of the risks.
Extra Examples- His question merely illustrates his ignorance of the subject.
- The case tragically illustrates the dangers of fireworks.
- The dire consequences of chronic underfunding are nowhere better illustrated than in the nation's schools.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- amply
- aptly
- brilliantly
- …
- serve to
- attempt to
- seek to
- …
- by
- to
Word Originearly 16th cent. (in the sense ‘illuminate, shed light on’): from Latin illustrat- ‘lit up’, from the verb illustrare, from in- ‘upon’ + lustrare ‘illuminate’.