realise
realise — verb
1. to come to understand a fact or situation, especially when this happens suddenly
to come to understand a fact or situation, especially when this happens suddenly or after a period of not knowing about it
Sarah suddenly realised she had left her keys on the bus.
realise + that-clause for sudden awareness
Liam realised how much his family meant to him after moving abroad.
realise + question word (how much)
I did not realise the shop closed so early on Sundays.
It took Emma a few moments to realise what had happened.
The teacher did not realise that the children were already asleep in the library.
- understand
broader; does not imply a sudden moment of awareness
- notice
refers to perceiving through the senses, not mental understanding
- become aware of
more formal and slightly longer phrasal alternative
- dawn on
informal; emphasises the slow or gradual nature of realisation
文法句型
realise + that-clause
realise + question word (e.g. why, what, how)
用法筆記
Often used with adverbs like 'suddenly', 'gradually', or 'only' to describe the timing of the realisation. Can take a that-clause (often with 'that' omitted in informal speech) or a question word clause.
常見錯誤
2. to succeed in making a hope, dream, or plan become something real — for example,
to succeed in making a hope, dream, or plan become something real — for example, finally opening a restaurant you had dreamed of, or reaching a goal you had worked towards for years
After years of hard work, Arjun finally realised his dream of becoming a doctor.
collocation: realise + dream
The school realised its ambition to build a new sports centre last year.
collocation: realise + ambition
Chloe felt proud when she realised her plan to publish a children's book.
The charity hopes to realise its vision of clean water for every village by 2030.
文法句型
realise + noun phrase (hope, dream, ambition, plan)
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, group, or organisation. Object is typically an abstract noun such as 'dream', 'ambition', 'goal', 'vision', or 'plan'. More formal than 'achieve'.
常見錯誤
3. to happen in a way that confirms someone's worst fears — used to say that someth
to happen in a way that confirms someone's worst fears — used to say that something bad that was expected or worried about actually takes place
Christopher's worst fears were realised when the company announced it was closing down.
passive: fears were realised
The villagers' worries about flooding were realised after three days of heavy rain.
Our concern that the bridge might collapse was sadly realised during the earthquake.
John's prediction that the company would go bankrupt was sadly realised within six months.
- come true
neutral; can apply to both good and bad outcomes
- materialise
more formal; often used for abstract possibilities
文法句型
realise + noun phrase (fear, worry)
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive voice ('fears were realised', 'worries were realised'). The subject is typically a negative expectation or anxiety. Distinguish from sense 2 (ACHIEVE), where the outcome is positive.
4. to reach a specific sum when sold, especially at an auction or in a financial tr
to reach a specific sum when sold, especially at an auction or in a financial transaction
The painting by Élise's grandmother realised over ten thousand pounds at auction.
realise + price at auction
The rare vase realised a higher price than the auction house had expected.
Antique furniture often realises less money today than it did twenty years ago.
The collection of stamps realised nearly two thousand dollars at the charity auction.
文法句型
realise + amount of money
用法筆記
Subject is the item being sold, not the seller. The object is always a sum of money. Common in auction and real-estate contexts.
5. to turn an asset such as property or shares into cash by selling it, so that the
to turn an asset such as property or shares into cash by selling it, so that the owner receives its value in money
The family realised the value of their shares to pay for their daughter's university fees.
realise + value of asset
Lucas realised his investment in the property market and made a good profit.
Many investors chose to realise their assets before the stock market fell further.
The company decided to realise its property holdings to raise capital for new projects.
- convert into cash
more explicit and literal
- liquidate
formal; often used for shares and investments
- sell off
less formal; suggests selling quickly or in large quantities
- hold on to
to keep an asset rather than sell it
- keep
general opposite
文法句型
realise + noun phrase (asset, investment, property)
用法筆記
The direct object is the asset itself or its value. Frequently used in financial and legal writing. Distinguish from sense 4 (SELL FOR): sense 4 describes the price an item reaches when sold, while sense 5 describes the act of selling an asset to obtain cash.
6. to add harmonies and full chords to a bass line that has numbers written underne
to add harmonies and full chords to a bass line that has numbers written underneath it, creating a complete musical part in the Baroque style
The music student was asked to realise the figured bass for a Bach cantata.
specialised: realise + figured bass
A skilled harpsichordist can realise a figured bass spontaneously during a performance.
In the exam, students had to realise a short figured bass passage for string quartet.
Maria was asked to realise the figured bass for a Vivaldi sonata in her music exam.
文法句型
realise + noun phrase (bass line, figured bass)
用法筆記
A technical term in Baroque music performance. The subject is a musician or student; the object is a figured bass or a bass line with figures.
7. to give a musical performance or arrangement that reflects a chosen style, mood,
to give a musical performance or arrangement that reflects a chosen style, mood, or interpretation
The orchestra realised the symphony in a bold and dramatic style.
realise + style adverb
Hannah realised the folk song with a gentle acoustic guitar arrangement.
The pianist realised the nocturne with great warmth and sensitivity.
The choir realised the Renaissance motet with clear, pure vocal lines.
文法句型
realise + noun phrase + adverb/prepositional phrase
用法筆記
Typically followed by an adverb or prepositional phrase describing the style or manner of performance. Less common than 'interpret' or 'perform'.
8. to produce a particular speech sound in actual spoken language — for example, a
to produce a particular speech sound in actual spoken language — for example, a phoneme may be realised differently depending on the surrounding sounds
In some British accents, the /t/ sound is realised as a glottal stop between vowels.
passive: is realised as [sound]
The phoneme /r/ is realised differently in Scottish and Southern English speech.
In some dialects, the long vowel sound is realised as a diphthong.
The linguist showed how the glottal stop is realised in different regional accents.
- pronounced
the everyday term; less precise in linguistics
- articulated
formal; refers to the physical act of forming sounds
文法句型
realise + noun phrase + as + phonetic description
用法筆記
Common in the pattern 'be realised as [phonetic description]'. The subject is a phoneme or speech sound; the object or complement describes its actual pronunciation.