Used and loved by millions

Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

MitStanfordHarvardAustralian Nationa UniversityNanyangOxford

I sparsely

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "I sparsely" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It may be intended to express something done infrequently or in small amounts, but it lacks context to be usable. Example: "I sparsely attend social events due to my busy schedule."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

A key insight explored in this work is that the loop-closing event inherently occurs sparsely, i.e., the image currently being taken matches with only a small subset (if any) of previous images.

Furthermore, type I error rates are inflated for study designs with a small number of patients and/or sparse sampling (i.e. the sparsely sampled cross-over study design) (10, 11).

I saw a sparsely attended preview on Friday, when the official world premiere would have taken place had not bad weather, with frozen rain and black ice on the roads, stepped in.

After a long walk through the ship's corridors, I find my sparsely decorated, windowless cabin.

News & Media

Vice

The majority of its neighbourhoods, in fact, showed values of PGA close to 0. Finally, Leeds seemed to be more sparsely built (i.e., more high values of PUL) and offer more historic properties (i.e., more high values of OAHP).

We also note that when the networks are sparsely labeled (i.e., with 10 or 20% labeled data), (text {IDRN}_c) performs slightly better than IDRN.

New experimental results and a correlation are presented for the simultaneous solubility of hydrogen (i.e., a sparsely soluble gas) and carbon dioxide (a well soluble gas) in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([hmim][Tf2N]) at temperatures between 293 K and 373 K and pressures up to about 9.2 MPa.

But between the coasts, I-4 was a sparsely traveled highway through mile after mile of orange groves, small lakes, pine woods and prairie.

News & Media

The New York Times

There are a handful of so-called Super Angels like PRO Founders, Rocket Internet, Team Europe and maybe Atomico, investors in Europe are, how shall I put it… sparsely spread.

News & Media

TechCrunch

In unweighted networks, it has been shown that subgraphs naturally segregate into two classes: highly abundant type I subgraphs, which are sparsely interconnected, and less abundant type II subgraphs, which are densely interconnected [ 33].

MVB assumes that a small proportion of voxel activity patterns make a large contribution to decoding accuracy (i.e., information is sparsely coded).

Science

eLife
Show more...

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "I sparsely". Instead, opt for adverbs like "rarely", "seldom", or "infrequently" to express actions done infrequently. For example, say "I rarely visit that part of town" instead of "I sparsely visit that part of town".

Common error

A common mistake is to directly translate the meaning of "sparse" (thinly distributed) into an adverbial form that doesn't exist or sound natural. Instead of trying to force "sparsely" into a sentence where it doesn't fit, choose a more appropriate adverb of frequency like "rarely" or "occasionally".

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

60%

Authority and reliability

1/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "I sparsely" attempts to function as an adverbial modifier, indicating how often an action is performed. However, as Ludwig AI points out, it's grammatically incorrect. While "sparsely" exists as an adverb, using it directly after "I" is unconventional and doesn't create a clear or natural sentence.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "I sparsely" is considered grammatically incorrect and is not found in common usage. Ludwig AI's analysis confirms this, indicating it does not follow standard English grammar rules. To express the idea of doing something infrequently, it's recommended to use alternatives such as "I rarely", "I seldom", or "I infrequently". These options provide clarity and grammatical correctness, ensuring effective communication.

FAQs

Is "I sparsely" grammatically correct?

No, the phrase "I sparsely" is not grammatically correct. It's better to use adverbs like "rarely", "seldom", or "infrequently" to convey the intended meaning.

What can I say instead of "I sparsely"?

You can use alternatives like "I rarely", "I seldom", or "I infrequently" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "I sparsely" or "I rarely"?

""I rarely"" is the correct and more commonly used phrase. "I sparsely" is not considered grammatically sound.

How can I use adverbs of frequency correctly?

Adverbs of frequency (like rarely, seldom, infrequently) should be placed before the main verb (except with the verb "to be", where they go after). For example, "I rarely go to the cinema", not "I go rarely to the cinema".

ChatGPT power + Grammarly precisionChatGPT power + Grammarly precision
ChatGPT + Grammarly

Editing plus AI, all in one place.

Stop switching between tools. Your AI writing partner for everything—polishing proposals, crafting emails, finding the right tone.

Source & Trust

60%

Authority and reliability

1/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: