Map out means plan something in detail, step by step: we mapped out the installation process before ordering equipment. A trip, a career, a project: you can map out anything without drawing a thing. Her next six months are already mapped out, so every week is planned. For some that's security, for others it's a cage.
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map out a route / strategy / process; map it out
- We mapped out the installation process before ordering equipment.
- The coach mapped the training schedule out on a whiteboard.
- Her next six months are already mapped out.
What changed
First versionLet's map out it before we begin.
RevisionLet's map it out before we begin.
Most verbs take the object right after them, so map out it looks logical. But with a phrasal verb, a pronoun goes between the parts: map it out. With a noun both orders work: map out the process or map the process out.
Plan is the general word, and it can be rough: we plan to move. Map out means plan in detail, step by step: we mapped out the move week by week. Draw a map means draw an actual map.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun position: The process is complicated, so let's ___.
Show the answer
map it out — The pronoun it goes between map and out: map it out. Map out it sounds wrong.
Describe how you mapped out a move, a trip or another big task step by step.
We mapped out the move, starting with packing the books and labelling each box.
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