single out — choose for special attention
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, often in a way that makes them stand out.
Say it like a native
Textbook The manager selected one employee for particular attention.
Native The manager singled one employee out.
'Single out' compactly means pick one from a group for special focus; the paraphrase is clunky.
Pattern: single out sb/sth (for sth)
In use
- The teacher singled out Maria for her excellent project.daily life
- In my opinion, it's important for leaders to single out employees who work hard, as it motivates others to do their best.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Why do you always single out me?
✓ Why do you always single me out?
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'single me out'.
Common collocations
single out + person— one student, him, a few names, for praise
Don't confuse it
'Single out' is different from 'pick out', which just means to choose, without the idea of special attention.