Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

serve to illustrate

To write plainly and concisely, choose show instead of the roundabout phrase serve to illustrate.

  • These technological innovations show (not serve to illustrate) how the world has changed.

Other possibilities include demonstrate, explain, illustrate and make clear.

  • Two case studies explain (or demonstrate, illustrate, make clear) how the different topics intersect with other aspects of culture.
  • The video made clear (or demonstrated, explained, illustrated) how the sorting mechanism works.