Meaning & use
shedding some light
Last updated
“shedding some light” is a form of “shed light”.
Meanings
phraseidiom
explaining something or making it easier to understand.
Grammar: Always followed by 'on' plus the thing explained: shedding light on the problem.
Patterns
- shed light on something
- shed some light on something
- shed more light on something
The new report is shedding some light on why sales fell last year.
Her diary sheds light on daily life in the 1920s.
Can you shed any light on how this mistake happened?
phraseidiom
giving light to a place, used literally about lamps or the sun.
Grammar: The literal use is much less common than the figurative one and usually appears with 'into' or 'on'.
Patterns
- shed light into something
- shed light on something
The tall windows were shedding light into the empty hall.
A single lamp shed light on the desk where he worked.
Word forms
| base form | shed light |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sheds light |
| past tense | shed light |
| past participle | shed light |
| -ing form | shedding light |
Common combinations
- shed light on a mystery
- The letters shed light on a family mystery.
- shed new light on something
- Recent research sheds new light on the disease.
- help shed light on something
- These figures may help shed light on the price rise.
- without shedding light on anything
- The meeting ended without shedding light on the main question.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clarify
- A plain verb meaning to make something clear; it takes a direct object, so you clarify a rule, not shed light on it.
- explain
- The everyday general word; 'shed light on' sounds more formal and suggests new information appearing.
Opposites
Word family
- illuminate verb
- to light something up or make a subject clearer.
Commonly confused: shedding some light or shed?
shedding some light vs shed
The noun 'shed' is a small building for tools; the verb 'shed' here means to give out or let fall.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The idiom is fixed with 'on'. The prepositions 'to', 'about' and 'for' do not follow 'shed light' in this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shedding some light”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.