While investigating

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "While investigating" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to introduce a clause that describes actions taken during the process of investigation. Example: "While investigating the case, the detective uncovered new evidence that changed everything."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Academia

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

While investigating a mysterious accident involving her family, an artist falls hard for a marine biologist.

The New York Times - Books

While investigating, the police learned about the death of Mrs. Corneau's baby, Jeremiah.

The New York Times

While investigating this alleged hack, Yahoo discovered the much bigger breach announced on Thursday.

The Guardian - Tech

While investigating the divorce case, Attorney General McLaughlin developed a second central accusation.

The New York Times

While investigating Mr. Bharadia's complaint, the police in Savannah visited the home of Mr. Flint's girlfriend.

The New York Times

While investigating aerodynamics, however, Tsiolkovsky began to devote more attention to space problems.

Encyclopedia Britannica

While investigating an eroded drainage ditch, Castillo discovered what were clearly some large bones poking through the sandy clay.

University of California, Berkeley

While investigating graduate schools, I learned that others had similar interests.

Science Magazine

While investigating a sand pit, they encounter the Phantom.

Wikipedia

While investigating, Mulder is taken by a UFO.

Wikipedia

While investigating the case, authorities discovered that the texts she received came from the same house.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure the clause following "While investigating" logically connects to the investigation's context.

Common error

Avoid using "While investigating" if the subject of the main clause is not the one doing the investigating, which can lead to confusion. For example, instead of saying "While investigating the crime scene, the evidence was carefully collected", state "While investigators were investigating the crime scene, the evidence was carefully collected."

Linguistic Context

"While investigating" functions as a temporal prepositional phrase, introducing a clause that sets the time frame or context for the main action. Ludwig AI suggests that it indicates that the action in the main clause occurred during the process of investigation. Its usage often sets the scene in narratives or reports.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Wiki

17%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Science

19%

Encyclopedias

7%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "While investigating" serves as a temporal prepositional phrase that introduces a clause setting the context for an action or discovery. Ludwig AI's analysis affirms its correct usage in written English. It is frequently used in news media and academic writing to link investigative actions with their outcomes. Although grammatically correct and widely used, ensure that the subject is clearly defined to avoid misplaced modifiers. Ludwig provides numerous examples demonstrating its effective application across various contexts. The phrase is considered neutral in formality, making it appropriate for diverse writing styles.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

During the investigation

Replaces the conjunction with a preposition, creating a more concise phrase.

In the course of investigating

Offers a more formal and elaborate alternative, emphasizing the process.

As they investigated

Shifts the focus to the investigators as the subject of the clause.

Upon investigating

Implies that the investigation immediately preceded the subsequent action.

When investigating

Uses a temporal conjunction to set a time frame of the investigation.

Through investigation

Highlights the investigation as a means of discovery.

By means of investigation

Rephrases through with a preposition.

Investigating, they found

Inverts the clause, placing emphasis on the findings.

While carrying out the investigation

Adds emphasis to the action of carrying out the investigation.

In their investigation

Frames the investigation as an activity performed by a group.

FAQs

How do I use "While investigating" in a sentence?

"While investigating" introduces a clause that describes an action happening during an investigation. For example, "While investigating the case, detectives discovered new leads."

What are some alternatives to "While investigating"?

Alternatives include "During the investigation", "In the course of investigating", or "As they investigated". Each offers a slightly different emphasis and level of formality, like "during the investigation" or "in the course of investigating".

Is it correct to say "Investigating, they found..." instead of "While investigating, they found..."?

While both can be grammatically correct, "While investigating, they found..." more clearly establishes the temporal relationship between the act of investigating and the discovery. "Investigating, they found..." ("investigating, they found") is more concise but might require additional context for clarity.

How does the formality of "While investigating" compare to other similar phrases?

"While investigating" is generally considered neutral in formality. Phrases like "In the course of investigating" might be perceived as more formal, while simply using "During the investigation" ("during the investigation") is slightly less formal.