a negative guidance

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a negative guidance" is not correct in standard English usage.
The term "guidance" is typically uncountable, so it should not be preceded by an article like "a." Example: "The project received negative guidance from the committee, which affected its progress."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Accounting, Organizations and Society

The New York Times

Forbes

Cell Research

The Economist

Accounting, Organizations and Society

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

Health Research Policy and Systems

BMC Anesthesiology

BioMed Research International

Globalization and Health

TechCrunch

European Journal of Hybrid Imaging

Huffington Post

British Journal of Dermatology

The New York Times - Sports

The Guardian - Business

ASN Neuro

BMC Genomics

Biomaterials

Huffington Post

Unicef

WikiHow

BBC

BioMed Research International

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In our second experiment, we separate out the effect of the attribution's outcome controllability (controllable versus uncontrollable) from that of attribution locus in a negative guidance news setting.

Accounting, Organizations and Society

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

To get around such legal prohibitions, Washington came up with a system of "negative guidance," sometimes called "20 questions," as detailed in a 1989 article in Foreign Policy.

The New York Times

"Although this is primarily due to patent expirations, the flurry of negative guidance in '01 indicates a reduced ability to manage that predictable problem," Seiden wrote.

Forbes

American nuclear scientists began highly secretive discussions with their French counterparts that amounted to a game of 20 Questions, though in Washington-speak it was termed "negative guidance".

The New York Times

So far, 17 companies have given what is known as negative guidance for future profit growth, and none have given positive guidance, a Thomson Reuters analyst, Greg Harrison, said.

The New York Times

Of the 10 companies in the S.& P. 500 that have talked about the coming quarter, eight have provided negative guidance, according to Thomson Reuters.

The New York Times

Thomson Reuters recently calculated that 103 companies in the S&P 500 had issued negative guidance on profits compared with just nine that have been positive the worst ratio on record.

The Economist

According to Thomson Financial, 292 companies preannounced third-quarter results and 188 gave negative guidance.

Forbes

If such bellwethers as Wal-Mart offer negative guidance, the market may give back April's gains.

Forbes

Shares of Symantec fell 8% in late trading after the software maker issued negative guidance for the third quarter.

Forbes

While Hickey is not expecting any disasters, he thinks that there maybe some negative guidance for the coming year.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "a negative guidance" in formal writing. Opt for alternatives like "negative guidance", "pessimistic forecast", or "unfavorable guidance" to maintain grammatical correctness and clarity.

Common error

The word "guidance" is an uncountable noun and should not be preceded by the indefinite article "a". Using "a guidance" suggests treating it as a countable item, which is grammatically incorrect. Always use "negative guidance" without the "a" or rephrase the sentence.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a negative guidance" functions as a noun phrase intended to convey a pessimistic or unfavorable forecast. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, the article "a" is grammatically incorrect when used with the uncountable noun "guidance".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

32%

Science

28%

Formal & Business

14%

Less common in

Accounting, Organizations and Society

4%

Wiki

4%

Huffington Post

4%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a negative guidance" appears in some sources, it is grammatically incorrect due to the use of the indefinite article "a" with the uncountable noun "guidance". Ludwig AI highlights this error. It's better to use "negative guidance" or alternative phrases like "pessimistic forecast" or "unfavorable guidance" to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity. The intended meaning typically relates to conveying a negative outlook or expectation, particularly in business and scientific contexts. When writing professionally, it's best to avoid "a negative guidance" and opt for more precise and grammatically sound alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unfavorable guidance

Replaces 'a negative' with 'unfavorable', maintaining the meaning but correcting the grammar.

pessimistic forecast

Substitutes the entire phrase with a common financial term conveying a negative outlook.

downward revision

Focuses on the act of adjusting expectations downwards, implying negative guidance.

bleak outlook

Uses a descriptive phrase to suggest a negative future scenario, similar to negative guidance.

negative projections

Replaces 'guidance' with 'projections' to denote a negative prediction or estimate.

unpromising advice

Indicates direction that suggests failure or lack of success, making it akin to negative guidance.

discouraging insights

Replaces 'guidance' with 'insights' to show feedback with unfavorable data.

unfavorable recommendations

Uses 'recommendations' to show advice that is more tailored and not likely to lead to profit.

adverse direction

Implies a course of action or path that will lead to difficulties or failure.

poor prospects

Indicates a likelihood of negative outcomes in the future without offering specific advice.

FAQs

What's wrong with the phrase "a negative guidance"?

The main issue is grammatical. "Guidance" is an uncountable noun, so it shouldn't be used with the indefinite article "a". The correct form is simply "negative guidance".

What are some better alternatives to "a negative guidance"?

Depending on the context, you could use "pessimistic forecast", "unfavorable guidance", or "downward revision". The best choice depends on the specific meaning you want to convey.

How can I use the term "negative guidance" correctly in a sentence?

You can say, "The company issued negative guidance for the next quarter," or "Investors reacted poorly to the negative guidance." Notice there's no "a" before "negative guidance".

Is there a difference between "negative guidance" and "a negative guidance"?

Yes, "negative guidance" is the grammatically correct phrase. "A negative guidance" is considered incorrect because "guidance" is an uncountable noun. Stick to using "negative guidance" without the article.