Realization: English Vocabulary List

to clarify or supply additional information on something

"The investigation brought new facts to light."

"The investigation brought to light many previously unknown facts about the company corruption."

to become completely clear and easily understood

"The danger finally came home to me."

"The reality of his situation finally came home to him when he could not pay his rent."

to finally become known or revealed after a period of secrecy

"New evidence came to light yesterday."

"New evidence came to light during the trial that proved the defendant was completely innocent."

to become aware of a piece of information that has been long kept a secret

"I caught wind of the plan."

"The reporters caught wind of the scandal and immediately started investigating the story for the evening news."

to realize something important, particularly something that one was neglecting

"Travel opened my eyes to other cultures."

"Traveling to poor countries opened my eyes to how lucky I really am to live comfortably."

to provide someone with information about something ambiguous to make it easier to understand

"Can you shed light on this?"

"The professor shed some light on the historical events we were studying in class."

to provide someone with a hint or suggestion

"She put a bug in his ear."

"My friend put a bug in my ear about the new job opening at her company."

to make others understand or accept something, particularly by keep repeating it

"She drove home her point."

"The speaker used powerful statistics to drive home the importance of reducing carbon emissions worldwide."

to make something deeply understood or realized by presenting it in a relatable and impactful way

"The accident brought home the importance of safety."

"The car accident brought home to me how fragile life really is and I changed my behaviour."

to start to have a clear meaning

"Everything fell into place."

"After weeks of confusion everything suddenly fell into place and I understood the problem completely."

to evaluate the situation and all its possible outcomes in order to draw a conclusion

"I put two and two together and found the answer."

"When she saw the empty parking space she put two and two together and realized he had already left."

to begin to understand or realize something after a long period of ignorance or doubt

"I finally saw the light yesterday."

"After years of confusion, she finally saw the light and understood what her teacher had been trying to explain all along."

to reflect on one's actions so as to accept one's flaws and shortcomings

"You need to take a look in the mirror."

"The arrogant man needs to take a look in the mirror and see how rude he is to everyone."

to see people or things through a different perspective

"I see my job in a new light now."

"After talking to him I saw the situation in a new light and understood his point of view."

to convince someone to think or behave in a more rational, reasonable, or sensible manner, often through logical arguments

"I tried to talk some sense into him."

"The youth worker managed to talk some sense into the troubled teenager before he dropped out of school."

to attempt to make someone understand something, often forcefully or through persuasion

"Knock sense into him."

"The boxing coach tried to knock some sense into the lazy fighter before the championship match."

to fully comprehend a situation

"OK, I get the picture, stop explaining."

"After explaining the situation twice I think you finally get the picture about what happened."

used to say that a person has finally understood or realized something

"After an hour, the penny finally dropped."

"The penny finally dropped and I realised that my best friend had been lying to me for years."

to fail to understand something incorrectly, often leading to offense

"Please do not take my joke the wrong way."

"Please do not take my advice the wrong way because I am only trying to help you improve."

to start to have a clear meaning

"It will fall into place."

"After many confusing discussions, the pieces finally started to fall into place."