CLARIFY THESAURUS HOW TO
CLARIFY THESAURUS PROFESSIONAL

You missed an important assignment in one of your university classes. Express your lack of understanding and ask for clarification. You are not sure you understand his explanation of online banking. The bank representative is describing the different types of accounts and telling you about online banking. You are in a bank and you want to open a new account. Write your responses in the comments section. You can do one or all of the situations below. Now, you try it! Practice what you learned today. Of course, there are many ways to ask for or offer clarification, but we hope these examples help.Īlice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. In such cases, phrases like these can introduce what you want to say: There are other times when someone will ask you for clarification. So, in other words, complex carbohydrates are starches that have not been refined.Īfter the person clarifies themselves, you can let them know that you now understand and are thankful.Or, you might say, “So, in other words…,” which we usually use when we are restating something in a simpler way: So, what you’re saying is (that) some hotels offer discounts to guests for not using their cellphones?.If I understand you correctly, you’re saying that airport security workers are now working without pay?Īnother phrase you might use is, “So, what you’re saying is…”.Here is a very similar phrase: “If I understand you correctly, you’re saying that…” You’re saying that airport security workers are now working without pay? Let me see if I understood you correctly.For instance, you might say, “Let me see if I understood you correctly.

In such cases, you can check your understanding by rephrasing what the person said.

CLARIFY THESAURUS PROFESSIONAL

There are some social or professional situations in which you may want to avoid directly saying you haven’t understood. Could you be more specific about gift card restrictions? Sorry but I don’t quite follow what you’re saying about the new policy.When you say workers are on furlough, do you mean they’re temporarily laid off from work? I’m sorry but I’m not sure I understand.Listen to someone expressing lack of understanding and asking for clarification: “Could you elaborate on that?” is usually more suited to formal situations, such as in the workplace. In such situations, the following are useful: Other times, you may simply need more information or a helpful example. When you say workers are on furlough, do you mean they’re temporarily laid off from work?.The phrase “When you say…, do you mean…?” of course is not a complete sentence.

Here are some phrases you can use.įor many of them, you can use “can” or “could,” with could being a little more formal:

Sorry but I don’t quite follow what you’re saying about the new policy.Īfter you express your lack of understanding, the next step is to ask the person to clarify what they have said.

I’m sorry but I’m not sure I understand what you mean by 'tech giants.'.

In such situations, you can be more exact. Other times, you may understand part of what someone has said but need clarity on another part. Using the word “that” in two of the phrases is more suited for formal written communication, such as work-related emails.

Sorry, I’m not sure (that) I know what you mean.

I’m sorry but I’m not sure (that) I understand.

The first step is to tell the person that you are not sure that you have understood them fully. Here is how you can respectfully get the information that you need. Or maybe you think you know what the person means but want to make sure that you are correct. The person might not have explained themselves clearly, for example. This is different from asking a person to repeat something. When you ask someone for clarification, you are asking them to say something in a different way or provide more information so that you understand them better.

CLARIFY THESAURUS HOW TO

In today’s program, we will tell you how to get clarification on what someone has said or written. But in real life, you probably want to avoid such confusion. On television, communication failures can make for funny stories. But they soon find out they are among very, very bad people. Jerry and George are unsure what these comments mean. Some of the planned passengers later unexpectedly get in the limo and begin to make unusual comments. Guess where I am – in the back of a limo! No, nobody died. This is incredible! This is one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life! I'm going to call my mother.

Clarify thesaurus