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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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a slight preferred

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a slight preferred" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "a slight preference"? You can use "a slight preference" when indicating a mild or minor inclination towards one option over another. Example: "I have a slight preference for tea over coffee in the morning."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The developing graphene sheets show a slight preferred orientation with respect to the oriented cellular structure of the material.

Science

Carbon

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Interestingly, respondents also showed a slight preference for Sweden over equal distribution, suggesting that Americans do prefer a little inequality in wealth.

News & Media

Huffington Post

In both trials, there was thus a slight preference for FS, i.e. for the structure where all bunches were widely spaced and at the hinds' preferred height.

There is a slight preference for injecting in the buttock, except for patients who have experienced two to five episodes then the deltoid muscle is slightly preferred.

Further analyses indicated that this reflected a slight preference for the intoxicated face over the sober face in the low-dose condition (mean preference 54%, 95% CI 50 59%, P = 0.057), but a slight tendency to prefer the sober face over the intoxicated face in the high-dose condition (mean preference 47%, 95% CI 43 51%, P = 0.097).

The XRD pattern shows a characteristic polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with a slight (1 0 1 0) crystallographic preferred orientation.

By formulating the geometric design rules, a T-shaped configuration with a slight undercut is preferred as robust 3D structure for microfabricated high-performance of SLS.

The earliest example of this kind of experiment was conducted at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and suggested that most people prefer blue, with a slight female preference for redder hues.

News & Media

The Guardian

"NOBODY knew how bad it was," said the Vietnam veteran, a man of 64 with a ruddy face and a slight paunch who prefers short answers to long questions.

News & Media

The New York Times

Interestingly, we observed a rapid contraction and a slight relocation with a preferred directionality within the first minutes post-application of dcEFs (1 14 V/cm) in both calvarial and SaOS-2 cells.

Science

Plosone

Dickey prefers a slight breeze during his outings.

News & Media

The New York Times
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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When expressing a small degree of preference, use the phrase "a slight preference" instead of "a slight preferred" for grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using the past participle "preferred" directly after the adjective "slight". Always use "preference", which is the noun form, to correctly express a minor inclination or liking.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

77%

Authority and reliability

2.4/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a slight preferred" functions incorrectly as an adjective modifying another adjective. Ludwig AI indicates this is grammatically incorrect. The correct usage involves using "slight" to modify the noun "preference", as in "a slight preference".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Encyclopedias

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a slight preferred" is grammatically incorrect. The accurate and commonly accepted phrase is "a slight preference". Ludwig AI highlights the grammatical error, suggesting the substitution of the adjective "preferred" with the noun "preference". While examples exist, they don't validate the incorrect grammar. Using "a slight preference" ensures clarity and grammatical correctness across various contexts.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say something is slightly favored?

The correct phrase is "a slight preference". For example, "I have "a slight preference" for tea over coffee."

Is it grammatically correct to say "a slight preferred"?

No, "a slight preferred" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is ""a slight preference"", using the noun "preference" instead of the adjective "preferred".

What can I use instead of "a slight preferred" to indicate a minor liking?

Use ""a slight preference"", "a mild preference", or "a small preference" depending on the context.

How does "a slight preference" differ from "a strong preference"?

"A slight preference" indicates a minor inclination, while "a strong preference" suggests a significant liking or favoring of something.

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Source & Trust

77%

Authority and reliability

2.4/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: