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The teacher gave many examples to __________ the idea contained in the poem?

  1. Bring about
  2. Bring In
  3. Bring forth
  4. Bring out

Also, what is the difference in usage and meaning between bring forth and bring out?

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  • A helpful link.
    – J.R. ♦
    Apr 24, 2016 at 8:37
  • I personally like this kind of question. Native speakers naturally can use and "sort out" these verbs+particles, prepositions easily, I guess, but to ELLs it is so dificult to make a fair judgement. A good question.
    – user17814
    Apr 24, 2016 at 12:17
  • The sentence would be better expressed as: 'The teacher gave many examples to illuminate the idea contained in the poem'
    – Σωκράτης
    Apr 24, 2016 at 12:27
  • In addition to the definition @JR linked, there's also what seems to be a clear difference in the definitions of "bring forth" and "bring out" at dictionary.com/browse/bring--forth Can you explain a little more why you're confused?
    – ColleenV
    Apr 24, 2016 at 13:35
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    @KentaroT - I agree that the subject matter makes for a good question. Problem is, the O.P. has shown no research, so essentially this sends the community scurrying for their dictionaries, which is where the O.P. should go first. If this got edited to include some basic research (e.g., I looked up these terms in the dictionary, and I found such-and-so...), then this could be reopened.
    – J.R. ♦
    Apr 25, 2016 at 9:00

1 Answer 1

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The verb itself may be at fault, and not merely the preposition ("bring" doesn't feel 100% suited). But, to answer the question:

  • Bring about: created. This would only make sense, perhaps, if the teacher was the poet.
  • Bring In: doesn't make any sense really.

Of the other two

  • Bring forth
  • Bring out

Both would be suitable, but "forth" implies a larger, grander (and possibly more difficult) action than simply "out".

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  • I think the only real difference is that 'forth' is used when the writer is feeling particularly pompous.
    – Σωκράτης
    Apr 24, 2016 at 12:25
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    Both would not be suitable. "Bring out" means to make noticeable or expose. 'We should adjust the lights to bring out the details of the painting.' "Bring Forth" means to give birth to, or introduce, for example 'The committee will bring forth a proposal after they consult with the experts.' In the example, "many examples" doesn't work with introducing the idea, so it has to be bring out. Yes "bring forth" has a more formal tone, but it also means something different from "bring out".
    – ColleenV
    Apr 24, 2016 at 13:51
  • @ColleenV - I think the writers of this question were trying to get the learner to realize bring out and bring forth are not synonyms. (Granted, people may confuse the two, but that's another matter.)
    – J.R. ♦
    Apr 25, 2016 at 9:01

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