a clear order

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a clear order" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a directive or command that is easy to understand and follow. Example: "The manager issued a clear order to the team regarding the project's deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

25 human-written examples

There is a clear order of operations.

The New York Times - Magazine

"That's why it's illegal to do so without a clear order from the court".

The New York Times

He had issued a clear order to Cox, who was an employee of the executive branch.

The Washington Post

"I think it's that the person who's responsible for my case didn't get a clear order from above," he said.

The New York Times

When the collection was acquired from the Institute of War and Peace Studies, the boxes were not numbered and there was not a clear order to them.

Columbia University

Orlov told me recently that he doesn't necessarily believe Kadyrov issued a clear order; it's possible that his language was indirect — "Solve the problem," say.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

35 human-written examples

When the absolute distance between categories of a variable is unknown, yet there is a clear ordering of the categories, the variable is considered ordinal.

Journal of Modern Transportation

There is a clear ordering in the second moment of the earnings distribution across the three labor market states irrespective of whether one looks at the raw or the adjusted data.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

Although this greedy heuristic can approach optimality if applications are being admitted only and do not have variable utility, it does not support applications with multiple possible utility levels and does not always have a clear ordering when multiple resources are considered.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

This method resulted in a clear ordering of the samples taken from our test-set (Figure 6).

Plosone

Comprehensibility concerns the tendency to perceive stimuli in a clear, ordered and structured way.

BMC Public Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer using more formal and professional synonyms in a context where the audience has a higher reading comprehension.

Common error

Avoid assuming that a general suggestion constitutes "a clear order". Ensure the directive is explicitly stated and leaves no room for misinterpretation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a clear order" functions primarily as a noun phrase, where "clear" modifies the noun "order". It often acts as the subject or object of a verb, denoting a specific directive or instruction. As shown in the Ludwig examples, the phrase is used to describe commands, sequences, or organizational structures that are easily understood.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

47%

Science

32%

Academia

12%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Formal & Business

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a clear order" is a common phrase used to describe instructions, commands, or sequences that are easily understood and unambiguous. Grammatically correct and versatile, as confirmed by Ludwig, it finds frequent use in News & Media and Scientific contexts. The phrase emphasizes precision, organization, and a lack of ambiguity, making it suitable for a wide range of situations, from formal directives to straightforward guidelines. While versatile, it's important to ensure that the context clarifies who issues the order and to whom it is directed. Alternatives such as "explicit instruction" or "unambiguous directive" can be employed to provide a nuance or a formal tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

explicit instruction

Replaces "order" with "instruction" emphasizing the directive aspect and replaces "clear" with "explicit" emphasizing the unambiguity.

unambiguous directive

Substitutes both "clear" and "order" to highlight the lack of confusion and the authoritative nature of the instruction.

precise command

Replaces "clear" with "precise" and "order" with "command", stressing accuracy and authority.

defined sequence

Focuses on the ordered arrangement rather than a command, using "sequence" instead of "order" and "defined" instead of "clear".

structured process

Emphasizes the systematic nature using "process" and "structured" to convey organization.

well-defined procedure

Highlights the established method, replacing "order" with "procedure" and emphasizing clarity through "well-defined".

straightforward guideline

Replaces "order" with "guideline" and "clear" with "straightforward", indicating simplicity and ease of understanding.

easily understood instruction

Focuses on the ease of comprehension, replacing "clear" with a descriptive phrase and "order" with "instruction".

lucid direction

Uses more formal synonyms, replacing "clear" with "lucid" and "order" with "direction", to convey clarity and guidance.

articulated plan

Shifts the focus to a planned arrangement, substituting "order" with "plan" and emphasizing the expressed nature with "articulated".

FAQs

How to use "a clear order" in a sentence?

You can use "a clear order" to describe instructions or commands that are easy to understand and follow. For example, "The general gave "a clear order" to advance."

What can I say instead of "a clear order"?

You can use alternatives like "explicit instruction", "unambiguous directive", or "precise command" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "a clear order" or "an clear order"?

"A clear order" is correct. "Clear" begins with a consonant sound, so the indefinite article "a" is appropriate.

What's the difference between "a clear order" and "a vague suggestion"?

"A clear order" is a directive that is easily understood and followed, while "a vague suggestion" is an unclear or ambiguous proposal.