a unifying influence

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a unifying influence" is not correct in standard English; it should be "a unifying influence" instead of "an unifying influence." You can use it when describing something or someone that brings people or elements together, fostering unity or harmony.
Example: "The community center has become a unifying influence in our neighborhood, bringing together residents from diverse backgrounds."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Communication lines such as roads (if they are at least several centuries old), river valleys, or seacoasts often have a unifying influence.

Britannica

The president has the makings of a religious war on his hands.Mr Wahid, a moderate Muslim scholar chosen as president because he was seen as a unifying influence, has gone some way to meeting the demands of the separatists.

The Economist

During this period, the variational principles have played an important and significant part as a unifying influence in pure and applied sciences and as a guide in the mathematical interpretation of many physical phenomena.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

It's a far cry from two years ago, when the Obama presidential campaign had a unifying influence on the entire party.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

In contrast, the World Cup has a somewhat unifying influence.

The Guardian - Sport

A glance across the new music scene, from the stark songstress Chelsea Wolfe to the dislocated 50s pop of Dirty Beaches, shows an odd but unifying influence at work: the surreal and unsettling films of the man behind Blue Velvet and Eraserhead.

The Guardian - Film

These measures vary widely across several important domains but a unifying theme is the influence that Lawton's model of QOL in dementia [ 3- 5] had on conceptualization of QOL.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Taken as a whole, the results for birthweight, parental age, and birth order from the present study do not support the estrogen exposure hypothesis as a unifying theory for prenatal influence on adult breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Research

Although the CIs are wide, these results lend support to the possibility that the prenatal period is important for subsequent breast cancer risk, but they do not support the estrogen hypothesis as a unifying theory for the influence of this period.

Breast Cancer Research

But as the relationship matures over time between the government and the faith bodies the benign influence of faith as a unifying force will hopefully return.

The Guardian - Opinion

A unifying hypothesis would be that oestrogen levels influence both bone density and breast density, and that the effect on breast cancer risk is mediated by the effect on breast density.

Breast Cancer Research

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "a unifying influence", ensure you're referring to a singular entity that brings disparate elements into harmony. It is grammatically correct to use "a" before consonant sounds and "an" before vowel sounds, so the correct form is "a unifying influence".

Common error

A common mistake is using "an" instead of "a" before "unifying" because the first letter is a vowel. However, the word begins with a consonant sound, therefore, the correct article to use is "a". Always say "a unifying influence".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a unifying influence" functions as a noun phrase that describes something or someone exerting a positive impact that brings harmony and agreement. Ludwig AI points out a grammatical inconsistency of the user query.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

25%

Encyclopedias

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a unifying influence" describes someone or something capable of fostering unity or agreement. However, it is grammatically incorrect to say "an unifying influence". Ludwig AI has pointed out that the correct usage is with the article "a" as "unifying" begins with a consonant sound. This expression, while not very common, appears in News & Media, Science and Encyclopedias. For alternative expressions, consider "a cohesive factor" or "a harmonizing element". Remember to use the correct article "a" instead of "an" when you use the noun phrase "a unifying influence".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a cohesive factor

Focuses on the element of stickiness or binding things together, rather than influencing.

a force for unity

Directly describes the property of promoting togetherness.

a harmonizing element

Emphasizes the creation of harmony and balance, rather than a direct influence.

an aligning influence

Stresses the act of bringing things into agreement or correspondence.

a source of cohesion

Highlights the origin of the property of stickiness or binding things together.

a binding force

Highlights the power to unite and create strong connections.

a consolidating effect

Stresses the strengthening and solidifying of a group or idea.

an integrating factor

Focuses on combining separate parts into a unified whole.

a centralizing force

Highlights the concentration of power or influence in a single point.

a common denominator

Emphasizes a shared characteristic that unites different entities.

FAQs

How can "a unifying influence" be used in a sentence?

You can use "a unifying influence" to describe something or someone that helps bring people or ideas together, fostering agreement or harmony. For example, "The leader served as "a unifying influence" during the negotiations".

What's the difference between "a unifying influence" and "a cohesive factor"?

"A unifying influence" implies a force that brings disparate elements into agreement, while "a cohesive factor" emphasizes the binding together of elements that are already somewhat related.

Which is the grammatically correct version, "a unifying influence" or "an unifying influence"?

The grammatically correct version is "a unifying influence". Although "unifying" starts with a vowel, it begins with a consonant sound ('yu'), so the correct article is 'a', not 'an'.

What are some alternative phrases for "a unifying influence"?

Some alternatives include "a cohesive force", "a harmonizing element", or "a force for unity", depending on the specific context.