an incidental task

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an incidental task" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a task that is secondary or not the main focus of attention, often arising as a byproduct of a primary activity. Example: "While organizing the event, I found that sending out invitations was just an incidental task that took less time than I expected."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

used as "catch trials" in an incidental task designed to maintain attention throughout the run.

Cerebral Cortex

Fifty trials contained words from the trained word list, 50 contained words from the untrained word list and 10 were familiar names (e.g. john, tim, sarah, etc) used as 'catch trials' in an incidental task to maintain the participants' attention throughout the scan.

Brain

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Any learning of these associations would therefore be of an incidental (task-unrelated) nature and, in the absence of behavioral responses to the learned associations, could only be inferred neurophysiologically.

Cerebral Cortex

We tested attention during scanning using a simple incidental task.

Cerebral Cortex

Additionally, in previous work (Auger et al., 2012, 2013, cited in the paper), we have demonstrated that RSC responds to landmark permanence (for everyday outdoor items) when people are engaged in a completely incidental task.

eLife

Additionally, in previous work (Auger et al., 2012; Auger and Maguire, 2013), we have demonstrated that RSC responds to landmark permanence (for everyday outdoor items) when people are engaged in a completely incidental task.

eLife

Participants went through an incidental encoding task consisting of 120 trials, which included presentation of 60 neutral photos and 60 emotional photos.

Plosone

In order to maintain attention during the stationary countdown period, catch trials were included that involved an incidental visual task.

Current Biology

The number of errors that were made during the SDMT test was recorded and an incidental recall task immediately following the primary test was performed.

BMC Anesthesiology

In order to achieve a retention interval more comparable to that employed in studies of the influence of mood on recollection and familiarity for words whilst avoiding ceiling effects, we reduced exposure time and made use of an incidental monitoring task that did not require aspects of picture content to be actively processed.

Acta Psychologica

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans, we show that the influence of novelty and reward on memory formation in an incidental memory task is adaptively scaled and furthermore that the BOLD signal in orbital prefrontal and medial temporal cortices exhibits concomitant scaled adaptive coding.

Human Brain Mapping

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "an incidental task", ensure the context clearly establishes the primary task. This clarifies the relationship and importance of the incidental task.

Common error

Avoid overstating the importance of "an incidental task". It should genuinely be a secondary concern, not something critical disguised as minor.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an incidental task" functions as an adjective phrase modifying the noun "task". It serves to describe the nature of the task as being secondary or not the main focus. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is correct and usable in English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

67%

News & Media

22%

Formal & Business

11%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "an incidental task" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe a secondary or non-primary task. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. While not exceedingly common, it appears across diverse sources, notably in scientific and news contexts. When writing, ensure the incidental nature of the task is clear, and avoid exaggerating its significance. Alternatives such as "a secondary activity" or "a minor assignment" can be considered for semantic variation. The phrase effectively communicates that the task is subordinate to a main activity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a secondary activity

Replaces 'task' with 'activity' and 'incidental' with 'secondary', emphasizing the supporting role.

a supplementary duty

Substitutes 'task' with 'duty' and 'incidental' with 'supplementary', highlighting an additional but less important responsibility.

a minor assignment

Replaces 'task' with 'assignment' and 'incidental' with 'minor', stressing the small scale of the work.

a peripheral chore

Uses 'chore' instead of 'task' and 'peripheral' instead of 'incidental', suggesting a task on the sidelines.

a side undertaking

Replaces 'task' with 'undertaking' and 'incidental' with 'side', indicating a parallel but less critical project.

an ancillary responsibility

Changes 'task' to 'responsibility' and 'incidental' to 'ancillary', focusing on the supportive nature of the duty.

a non-essential job

Emphasizes the task's dispensability by using 'non-essential' instead of 'incidental'.

a trivial pursuit

Substitutes 'task' with 'pursuit' and 'incidental' with 'trivial', highlighting the task's low importance.

an accompanying endeavor

Uses 'endeavor' instead of 'task' and 'accompanying' instead of 'incidental', suggesting the task supports a main activity.

a subordinate activity

Replaces 'task' with 'activity' and 'incidental' with 'subordinate', pointing out the lower rank of the activity.

FAQs

How can I use "an incidental task" in a sentence?

You can use "an incidental task" to describe a secondary task that arises in the course of completing a primary task. For example, "During the main experiment, participants were asked to perform "an incidental task" to maintain their attention."

What are some alternatives to "an incidental task"?

Alternatives include "a secondary activity", "a supplementary duty", or "a minor assignment", depending on the specific context.

Is "incidental task" formal or informal language?

"Incidental task" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts, although more formal settings may benefit from alternatives like "ancillary responsibility".

What does "incidental" really mean in "an incidental task"?

In "an incidental task", "incidental" means that the task is not the primary focus or purpose; it occurs as a side effect or accompaniment to something else.