a widespread class of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a widespread class of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a large or common category of items, concepts, or phenomena that share similar characteristics. Example: "The study focused on a widespread class of environmental issues that affect urban areas."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Lectins are a widespread class of proteins implicated in many essential cellular and molecular recognition processes.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology

Carotenoids are a widespread class of compounds having important functions across living organisms, whose accumulation shows striking phylum- and genotype-specific regulation [ 9].

BMC Plant Biology

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a widespread class of persistent organic chemicals that accumulate in the environment and humans and are associated with a broad spectrum of health effects.

Environmental Health Perspectives

The GSTP1 enzymatic activity has been shown to differ between isoenzymes with Ile or Val in amino acid position 105, with Val105 enzymes having a higher catalytic capacity for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which represent a widespread class of environmental pollutants, but a lower conjugation capacity for, among others, 1-chloro-2,4-dini-trobenzene (Sundberg et al. 1998; Watson et al. 1998).

Environmental Health Perspectives

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Boutz, P.L., Bhutkar, A. & Sharp, P.A. Detained introns are a novel, widespread class of post-transcriptionally spliced introns.

Nature

Alternative splicing (AS) involving tandem acceptors that are separated by three nucleotides (NAGNAG) is an evolutionarily widespread class of AS, which is well studied in Homo sapiens (human) and Mus musculus (mouse).

BMC Plant Biology

It has been shown that AS involving alternative donors/acceptors separated by 2-12 nt, also called "subtle alternative splicing" (due to the small difference in length in the transcript isoforms), is an evolutionarily widespread class of AS among animals, and among these, NAGNAG AS, involving acceptors separated by 3 nt, is the most common [ 5- 8].

BMC Plant Biology

Using sequence profile analysis and sequence-based structure predictions, we define a previously unrecognized, widespread class of P-loop NTPases.

Journal of Molecular Biology

See also: A-F Imhaus & G Duménil (August 2014) Type IV pili (TFP) are the most widespread class of pili or fimbriae found in bacteria; they have a particular importance in proteobacteria which cause human disease, such as Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of meningococcal meningitis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (Pelicic, 2008).

EMBO Journal

This widespread class of enzymes has been implicated in a variety of plant metabolic pathways, including the biosynthesis of some amino acids, hormones, signalling molecules and a variety of secondary metabolites [ 4].

BMC Plant Biology

The widespread class of RNA viruses that utilize internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) for translation include poliovirus and Hepatitis C virus.

Stanford University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a widespread class of", ensure that the context clearly defines the characteristics that unify the class. For example: "a widespread class of antibiotics" is clear if you previously defined what kind of antibiotic you are describing.

Common error

Avoid using "a widespread class of" without sufficient context. Saying "a widespread class of problems" can be vague. Instead, specify the type of problems, such as "a widespread class of environmental problems".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a widespread class of" functions as a pre-modifying adjective phrase, specifying the nature of the noun that follows. As Ludwig AI states, it indicates that the following noun is part of a category that is commonly found or broadly distributed.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

37%

Formal & Business

13%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a widespread class of" serves to introduce a category of items, concepts, or phenomena recognized for their commonality and broad distribution. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its purpose is to categorize and emphasize the prevalence of something. While examples are relatively infrequent, indicating a "Rare" usage frequency, it appears across different fields, especially in Science and News & Media. For enhanced clarity, remember to give context and avoid overgeneralization. For example, instead of problems it's better to say environmental problems.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a common category of

Replaces "widespread" with "common" and "class" with "category", suggesting a frequently encountered group.

a prevalent type of

Substitutes "widespread" with "prevalent" and "class" with "type", emphasizing the common occurrence of something.

a widespread sort of

Replaces "class" with "sort", which is a less formal way to refer to a category.

a ubiquitous form of

Uses "ubiquitous" instead of "widespread" and "form" instead of "class", highlighting the widespread presence of something.

a general kind of

Replaces "widespread" with "general" emphasizing a broad grouping.

a broad range of

This alternative emphasizes the extent or variety within the group being described rather than its prevalence.

a dominant group of

Emphasizes the prevalence and influence of the group.

a far-reaching type of

This alternative highlights the impact and scope of the group.

a typical example of

Changes the focus to a representative case within a larger set, implying commonality.

a comprehensive set of

Highlights the inclusiveness and completeness of the group rather than its prevalence.

FAQs

What does "a widespread class of" mean?

The phrase "a widespread class of" refers to a large group or category of things that are common, prevalent, or broadly distributed. It's used to describe a category that is not limited or rare, but rather found in many places or instances.

How can I use "a widespread class of" in a sentence?

You can use "a widespread class of" to introduce a category of items that share similar characteristics and are common. For instance, "This research focuses on "a widespread class of diseases" affecting children".

What can I say instead of "a widespread class of"?

You can use alternatives like "a common category of", "a prevalent type of", or "a ubiquitous form of" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it better to say "a widespread class of" or "a common class of"?

Both phrases are acceptable, but "a widespread class of" emphasizes the broad distribution or occurrence of the category, while "a common class of" simply highlights that the category is frequently encountered. The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.