Explanation I use in comments on student papers:
Consider the following sentence: “In contrast, Stevens relates to the idea of place as if it were a partnership between man and nature.” Here “relates to” is a vague, abstract formulation that has little logical content. The following revision sharpens the sentence by specifying the kind of relationship: “In contrast, Stevens exhibits the idea of place as if it were a partnership between man and nature.” (Depending on the precise meaning you intend, you could substitute for “exhibits” such phrases as “demonstrates,” “stages,” “enacts,” etc.)
There are other, fuzzy relational phrases that students often use to yoke concepts together in a sentence.
