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# clarifying

present participle and adjective of clarify (clarify, clarifies, clarified, clarifying)

«clarifying» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Making something clearer or easier to understand, by explaining it more. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#m1)
2. (cooking) Making a liquid, such as butter or soup, clear by removing the bits in it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#m2)
3. (adjective) Helping to make something clear: «a clarifying question». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#m3)

### In the lessons

In school pupils ask clarifying questions when they don't understand the task: «Do you mean the total or the difference?» In maths, clarifying the question before solving stops mistakes. In cooking, clarified butter has the white milky part taken out. Phrases: «a clarifying question», «clarifying the rules», «clarified butter».

### Examples

- Can I ask a clarifying question, please? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x1)
- The teacher was clarifying the rules of the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x2)
- Thanks for clarifying that; now I understand. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x3)
- Clarifying the question first helps you solve it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x4)
- Mum is clarifying butter for the curry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x5)
- The coach drew a picture, clarifying where everyone should stand. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/#x6)

### Note

Spelling: clarify → clarifies, clarified (y changes to i), but clarifying keeps the y. Noun: clarification. Formal-ish; in everyday speech people say «explain» or «make clear».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «clarifying» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clarifying/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«clarifying» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/clarifying.html) on Mova free.