The vast majority of phrasal verbs contain a verb and a preposition. There are some cases where a phrasal verb is formed by a verb and an adverb. Point out has a transitive verb, point, and an adverb, out.
Point out a phrasal verb that is usually used in two forms. One, to point something out and two, to point somebody out.
Meaning of Point out:
When we want to tell somebody something or inform them of something, usually something we think they don’t know we will use point out.
- I want to point out that I have also been on time every day without exception.
We can also use point out to show someone thing or identify someone.
- The woman pointed out the man from the police line up as the one who stole her bag.
Dialog:
Jim: Hi Sigmund. Great presentation today.
Sigmund: Thanks Jim. What did you like best about it.
Jim: Firstly, I like the way you pointed out the need for more employee engagement.
Sigmund: Yes. It is important and I also wanted to point out that without the employee engagement we would continue to have a high turnover rate.
Jim: Yes, absolutely. You also pointed out something I didn’t know. Specifically, that supervisors who do not feel engaged, do not engage their staff.
Sigmund: Yes. This was something that was pointed out to me from Silvia in HR.
Jim: Really?
Sigmund: Yes she point out some research she conducted in her previous company and it correlates well to other findings.
Dialog:
Veronica: Hey Jill, I am looking for a guy by the name of Phil?
Jill: Yes, sure. Let me point him out to you. He is right over there next to the window.
Veronica: Great thanks! Also, can you point out a Brenda?
Jill: Sure. You see where I pointed Phil out? She is sitting three rows behind Phil next to the window as well.
Veronica: Fantastic! Last thing. Can you point out where the washrooms are on this floor?
Jill: Ha Ha. Nope I can’t point those out for you.
Veronica: How come?
Jill: Because there are none. They are only on the odd numbered floors.
Related Phrases & Phrasal Verbs:
Get a cross – when we use get a across in the context of point out we are expressing that someone is able to make someone understand or believe something.
- I want to point out that we were able to get our point across and still keep a working relationship with them.
Go into detail – to explain or express something or information in a complete manner.
- We went into detail so that we could point out clearly the facts in the case.
Put into plain English – when we put things in plain English we are expressing things in simple and common English phrases.
- I am going to point this out to you in plain English, so there is no misunderstanding.
Draw attention to – when we draw people’s attention to something or someone we are making them aware of someone or something.
- I want to draw your attention to the man standing by the park and point out that he is not supposed to be in the picture.
Call attention to – in the context of point out we use this phrase to make someone notice and/or think about a person, place, or thing.
- She was able to call people’s attention to the human rights abuses and also point out that many have turned a blind eye to the problem.
Bring attention to – in the context of point out we would use this phrase to make someone aware or to inform them of something, usually a problem.
- I want to bring everyone’s attention to the possibility of a terrorist attack. If you see anything or anyone suspicious please point it out to the police immediately.
Give prominence to – this is a more formal phrase that is used to identify or treat someone or something (information) in a special and important manner.
- She gave special prominence to the issue of environmental pollution and pointed out that unless we continued to reduce Co2 emissions we would see catastrophic problems.
Point to – this is similar point out except that point to means to express the truth or importance of something.
- She pointed to the evidence and pointed out that he has a previous criminal record.
Related idioms:
Throw light upon – this is a phrase to express making something more understandable.
Synonyms (other ways to say):
Point to
Draw attention