a pair of critical

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a pair of critical" is not correct and lacks clarity in written English.
It may be intended to describe two critical items or aspects, but it needs additional context to be meaningful. Example: "The report highlighted a pair of critical issues that need to be addressed immediately."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

He shot just 3 for 16 from the field, missed a pair of critical free throws late in the second half and never looked comfortable on the floor.

The New York Times - Sports

Coming Back, Eventually Ben Roethlisberger converted a pair of critical third downs during a remarkably patient 64-yard drive over the final 6 33, and Shaun Suisham drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Steelers to a 16-14 win over the visiting Eagles in the rain.

The New York Times - Sports

Lift-off and blowout are characterized by a pair of critical curves in this two-dimensional parameter space the region between which corresponds to a stable lifted flame.

Combustion and Flame

Substituting k damp = k damp_c into T D z) allows a pair of critical open-loop poles z 1,2 = (1 ± j sqrt 3))/2 to be calculated, located on the unit circle of z-plane.

Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy

Instead of inspecting the SINR condition for all multicast clients at each base station, we consider for each pair of such base stations a pair of critical client nodes, one such node in each cell.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Over the last several years, a pair of critical incidences revealed the global interconnection of firms: the financial turmoil triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States and the disruption of worldwide supply chains caused by the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

EPJ Data Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

Rear-seat room was not bad, according to a pair of customarily critical teenagers.

The New York Times

We find that a word is bad if and only if there exists only a pair of 2-critical words, or only a pair of 3-critical words, or both only a pair of 2-critical words and only a pair of 3-critical words for QB(f)(f).

European Journal of Combinatorics

To backtrack, dissectHMMER creates a pair of fold-critical and remnant score for each sequence-to-domain alignment that is subsequently evaluated for its fold-critical E-value and its remnant E-values.

Biology Direct

Hence S (obtained from the Knox test, with critical spatial values s = 0.5,...,7.5 km and critical temporal values t = 0.1,...,1.5 years) was used to describe the magnitude of the clustering effects for a given pair of critical values.

BMC Cancer

As a publisher, Don Graham may never face a pair of crises as critical as the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to two items, it's generally clearer and more grammatically sound to use "two critical" or "a couple of critical" instead of "a pair of critical".

Common error

Avoid using "pair" directly followed by an adjective like "critical". Instead, ensure there's a noun after "critical" to make the phrase grammatically correct: "a pair of critical issues" or "two critical elements".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a pair of critical" functions as a modifier, attempting to describe something consisting of two critical items. However, according to Ludwig AI, this phrase is considered grammatically incorrect, as it lacks a noun to modify directly after the adjective "critical".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a pair of critical" appears in various sources, including news and scientific articles, Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically incorrect. The main issue is the absence of a noun immediately following the adjective "critical". For clearer and more effective communication, consider using alternatives such as "two critical", "a couple of critical", or rephrasing to include a noun, for example, "a pair of critical issues". Avoiding this awkward phrasing will enhance the clarity and professionalism of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

two critical

Replaces "a pair of" with the simpler "two", providing a more direct and grammatically sound expression.

a couple of critical

Substitutes "pair" with "couple", maintaining the sense of two items but with a slightly more informal tone.

two essential

Replaces "critical" with "essential", conveying the importance of the items while using a different adjective.

two crucial

Replaces "critical" with "crucial", offering another synonym that emphasizes the significance of the items.

two vital

Replaces "critical" with "vital", highlighting the necessity and importance of the items.

a set of critical

Uses "set" instead of "pair", allowing for the possibility of more than two items while retaining the focus on importance.

some critical

Omits the explicit number, suggesting multiple critical items without specifying the exact quantity.

several critical

Indicates more than two critical items, providing a less precise quantity than "two" or "a pair".

a few critical

Similar to "several", but suggests a smaller number of critical items.

the critical duo

Employs a more figurative expression, using "duo" to highlight the pair and their critical nature.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say "a pair of critical"?

The phrase "a pair of critical" is grammatically awkward. It's better to say "two critical" or "a couple of critical", followed by the noun you are describing, such as "two critical issues".

Can I use "a pair of" with adjectives other than "critical"?

While you can use "a pair of" to describe items, it's important to ensure grammatical correctness. For example, "a pair of critical errors" is better than "a pair of critical". Consider alternative phrasing like "two crucial" or "a couple of essential".

Is "a pair of critical" formal or informal?

Due to its grammatical awkwardness, "a pair of critical" is best avoided in formal writing. Opt for clearer alternatives like "two critical" or "a couple of critical", depending on the desired level of formality.

What are some alternatives to "a pair of critical" that still emphasize importance?

You can use alternatives like "two essential", "two crucial", or "two vital", followed by the appropriate noun, to highlight the significance of the items being described.