In the beginning, there was the word.<\/p>\n
What word, you might ask? And is this a biblical word, like when you tell someone to turn the other cheek<\/a><\/strong>?<\/p>\n In fact, the word in this case is “allude,” and that opening sentence is an example of allusion, a type of reference to other texts or situations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Allude is a transitive verb that means “to refer to.” Although the meaning is slightly different, the easiest way to use allude in a sentence is to place it where you would put the verb “refer.” You can also use “allude” to discuss a specific type of literary or artistic reference called allusion.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The word “allude” is a near-synonym for “refer,” although it typically means in indirect reference rather than an explicit one.<\/p>\n Despite the slight difference in meanings, the fact that “allude” and “refer” are so similar makes it easy to figure out the meaning of “allude.” <\/p>\n In nearly all cases, you can simply take this word to mean “refer.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Allude is a verb, or action word. Specifically, it’s a transitive verb. This is the basic grammatical rule for “allude,” and so long as you remember it, you’ll be in good shape.<\/p>\n If, on the other hand, you do want to use “allude” without going into more detail, you can reach for “to make an allusion” instead.<\/p>\n Allusion is the noun form of allude and using it as a noun phrase doesn’t require an object or any additional grammar.<\/p>\n In other words, you always have to allude to something<\/em>–you can’t just allude. But you can say you’re making an allusion without having to specifically say what it’s an allusion to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As noted above, to use “allude” in a sentence, all you really need to do is put the word where you would put “refer.”<\/p>\n More specifically, this verb nearly always needs to be followed by the word “to” and the reference to which you are alluding.<\/p>\nHow do you use allude in a sentence?<\/h2>\n
The meaning of “allude”<\/h2>\n
Allude: parts of speech and grammatical rules<\/h2>\n
\nYou can read our article on transitive verbs<\/a><\/strong> if you aren’t sure what that means, but the short version is that every time you use “allude” there needs to be an object attached.<\/p>\nHow to use “allude” with a specific reference<\/h2>\n