Realize means to become aware of something, often suddenly: I realized I was late. A second meaning, “make something happen”, is used mainly with a dream, a goal or someone's abilities: realize a dream. To finish a project, English says complete or carry out a project. In British English the word is often spelled realise.
realize: will you get the meaning right?
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realize + (that) + clause; realize + what/how/why + clause; suddenly/soon + realize; realize a dream/an ambition; complete/carry out a project (not realize)
- She soon realized that the new job was much harder than she had expected.
- I didn't realize how late it was until the café started closing.
- After years of saving, he finally realized his dream of opening a small bakery.
What changed
First versionWhen I got to the airport, I understood that I had left my passport at home.
RevisionWhen I got to the airport, I realized that I had left my passport at home.
Understand may seem the natural choice, but it means understanding the meaning of something: an explanation, a text, a language. When a fact suddenly becomes clear to you, use realize. Only the verb has changed.
With a project, a plan or a system, realize sounds unnatural, even if it seems the obvious word. A project is completed or carried out, and a new system or new rules are implemented: The company implemented a new booking system. Keep realize in the sense of “make happen” for dreams and goals: She realized her dream of studying abroad.
Your turn
Our team ___ the project a week before the deadline, and the client was very happy with the result.
Show the answer
completed — The team finished the project before the deadline, so the answer is completed. Realized would read as “became aware of the project”: to finish a project, English uses complete or carry out, not realize.
Think of a moment when you suddenly understood that something had gone wrong: on a trip, at work or at home. Write where you were and what exactly you realized.
I was already on the train to Moscow when I realized that I had booked the hotel for the wrong week.
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