a few exemplars

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a few exemplars" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a small number of examples or instances of something, often in a formal or academic context. Example: "In this study, we will analyze a few exemplars of successful marketing campaigns to understand their effectiveness."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

There are a number of sanctimonious standout "formers" in Leibovich's Congressional hall of shame, but just to name a few exemplars who gleefully inhabit ethical no-worry zones and execute brisk 180-­degree switcheroos on any issue, including the Armenian genocide, so long as it pays: Dick Gephardt, Evan Bayh and Tim Pawlenty.

The New York Times - Books

Thus, for a given set of actions, we store a few exemplars taken from different views.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

As it is computationally difficult to construct a phylogenetic tree for more than a few thousand taxa, most analyses focus on a taxonomically-restricted subset and select a few exemplars from each group (e.g., [3], [4]).

Plosone

Microti, PINI, and PINI2 have lower F-values, but this is partially due to the fact that these sublineages have only a few exemplars.

BioMed Research International

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

His colleague, Dr Sean Mayes, adds that, "By learning what works – and what doesn't – in a few exemplar crops [such as bambara] we can improve the chances of successful intervention with many other crops".

The Guardian

According to Kenneth Schaffner (1998a), this is quite typical of biological explanation: unlike physicists, biologists frame explanations "around a few exemplar subsystems in specific organisms … used as (interlevel) prototypes to organize information about other similar (overlapping) models" (p. 278).

SEP

Generalizing to a higher-level taxon from observations on a single or only a few exemplar species is in fact common practice in systematic studies of many taxonomic groups.

Plosone

Storing a few exemplar trees from each study.

Bioinformatics

Although Gelechioidea are found to be monophyletic, support values for the clade are never very high when more than just a few exemplar species are included in the analyses.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

The objective of hybrid image summarization is selecting a few visual exemplars and semantic exemplars of a large-scale image collection and organizing them to represent the collection.

Neurocomputing

LONDON — For many Pakistanis, weighed down by their country's descent into biblical levels of violence and flooding, there was a sense of a final straw in the crude betting scandal that broke over the weekend around the Pakistani cricket team, whose players have long been idols with feet of clay in a nation with few exemplars elsewhere to sustain fragile pride.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a few exemplars" when you want to highlight specific instances or models that serve as clear examples, particularly in academic or technical writing.

Common error

Avoid using "a few exemplars" in casual or informal writing. Opt for simpler alternatives like "a few examples" or "some instances" to maintain a natural tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few exemplars" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the object of a verb or preposition. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is grammatically correct and suitable for formal writing.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

12.5%

Formal & Business

12.5%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a few exemplars" is a grammatically sound phrase best suited for formal writing, particularly within scientific and academic contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, it effectively highlights specific instances or models to illustrate a point. While less common in informal settings, it remains a useful and correct expression when precision and formality are desired. Alternatives such as "a few examples" or "some instances" may be more appropriate for general use.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

several representative examples

Emphasizes that the examples are representative of a larger set or category.

several illustrations

Replaces "exemplars" with "illustrations", emphasizing the act of clarifying or demonstrating something.

some instances

Replaces "exemplars" with "instances", focusing on specific occurrences or examples.

a number of prototypes

Substitutes "exemplars" with "prototypes", suggesting preliminary models or examples.

various demonstrations

Changes "exemplars" to "demonstrations", highlighting the act of showing or proving something.

a couple of specimens

Replaces "a few" with "a couple of" and "exemplars" with "specimens", which is appropriate in scientific contexts.

limited number of cases

Replaces "a few exemplars" with "limited number of cases", focusing on a specific number of occurrences.

small selection of models

Changes "a few" to "small selection" and "exemplars" to "models", suggesting a curated group of examples.

sparse collection of instances

Replaces "a few" with "sparse collection" and "exemplars" with "instances", emphasizing the limited nature of the examples.

handful of illustrations

Substitutes "a few" with "handful" and "exemplars" with "illustrations", offering a more informal alternative.

FAQs

How to use "a few exemplars" in a sentence?

You can use "a few exemplars" to refer to specific examples or instances, often in academic or technical contexts. For example, "The study analyzed "a few exemplars" of successful marketing campaigns."

What can I say instead of "a few exemplars"?

You can use alternatives like "a few examples", "some instances", or "several illustrations depending on the context.

Which is correct, "a few exemplars" or "a few examples"?

Both "a few exemplars" and "a few examples" are grammatically correct, but "a few exemplars" is more formal and often used in technical or academic writing, while the latter is more common in general usage.

What's the difference between "a few exemplars" and "a few models"?

"A few exemplars" refers to specific instances used as representative examples, while "a few models" typically refers to specific designs or versions of something. The choice depends on whether you're highlighting instances or designs.