avoid incidental

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "avoid incidental" is not correct and lacks clarity in written English.
It may be intended to suggest avoiding incidental occurrences or details, but it needs additional context to be meaningful. Example: "To ensure a smooth presentation, we should avoid incidental distractions that could divert the audience's attention."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

UN peacekeeping forces in Bangui should review their rules of engagement to ensure they are taking all feasible precautions to avoid incidental loss of civilian life".

The Guardian

It said: "he evidence in many of these cases indicates that Government forces take insufficient precautions to avoid incidental loss of civilian life and that their attacks are disproportionate to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated". Summary executions by anti-government forces.

The Guardian

(The standard device has been used of writing \ \phi (z)\) to represent the substitution instance of \ \phi (y)\) resulting from replacing free occurrences of \ y\) with occurrences of \ z\), and modifying bound variables if necessary to avoid incidental capture of \ z\).) The present abstraction notation, using \(\lambda\), is not that of Russell, but he used an equivalent scoping device.

SEP

For the microsatellite genotyping, a single individual was selected at random from each container to avoid incidental sampling of close relatives.

Evolutionary Applications

Importantly, we clearly separate the clinical diagnostic and the research settings, in order to avoid incidental findings and delays in data interpretation of the clinical test, where a rapid turnaround time is essential.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Therefore, narrowing the analysis of sequences to only those variants linked with the infant's symptoms is not just a tricky means of avoiding incidental findings.

Life Sciences, Society and Policy

This approach will not avoid every incidental finding since there may be some incidental findings in the specific genes that are analyzed.

Life Sciences, Society and Policy

The targeting process always includes a determination of the legality of the target and requires commanders to take steps to "avoid excessive incidental civilian casualties and damage to civilian property".

Vice

MMSE was recorded two weeks into the rehabilitation to avoid recording incidental confusion at baseline.

BMC Health Services Research

It may become necessary to slide down the receiver operating curve somewhat to decrease the false-positive fraction and avoid overcalling incidental pelvic lesions that could have a negative effect on overall patient care.

Cancer Imaging

Dr. Ross, who praised the researchers for deliberately avoiding such incidental findings, was also not involved with the study.

The New York Times - Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming to express the idea of averting unintended or unexpected occurrences, consider using stronger verbs like "prevent" or "mitigate" paired with precise nouns. For instance, instead of "avoid incidental findings", try "prevent unintended consequences" for greater clarity.

Common error

The term "incidental" needs a noun to modify. Ensure you specify what you're trying to avoid (e.g., "avoid incidental contact", "avoid incidental costs") instead of leaving the phrase open to misinterpretation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "avoid incidental" functions as a verb phrase intended to express the action of preventing something secondary or unplanned. However, as Ludwig AI points out, the phrase requires a noun to specify what is being avoided for grammatical completeness.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Academia

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "avoid incidental" aims to express prevention of something secondary, it is grammatically incomplete and requires a noun to specify what is being avoided. Ludwig AI confirms this assessment. Consider alternatives like "prevent unintended" or "mitigate inadvertent" followed by a noun for better clarity. It appears in scientific, news, and academic contexts, with the absence of specific usage patterns pointing towards the need for precise and complete phrasing to effectively convey the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prevent unintended

Focuses on preventing actions that are not intended or planned, similar to avoiding something incidental.

mitigate inadvertent

Highlights the reduction of unintentional consequences or occurrences.

preclude accidental

Emphasizes the prevention of occurrences that happen by chance or without intention.

evade chance

Directly addresses avoiding opportunities for something to happen randomly or unexpectedly.

forestall unintended

Implies taking action to prevent something from happening or arising.

avert unwanted

Concentrates on turning away from or preventing something undesirable.

sidestep coincidental

Focuses on skillfully avoiding something that happens by coincidence.

negate fortuitous

Emphasizes invalidating or nullifying events that occur by chance.

circumvent unplanned

Highlights finding a way around or avoiding something that was not part of a plan.

dodge random

Focuses on swiftly evading something that occurs without a specific pattern or reason.

FAQs

What does "avoid incidental" mean?

The phrase "avoid incidental" is grammatically incomplete. It needs a noun to specify what you are trying to avoid, such as "avoid incidental contact" or "avoid incidental expenses".

What can I say instead of "avoid incidental"?

Consider alternatives like "prevent unintended", "mitigate inadvertent", or "preclude accidental", depending on the specific context. Ensure you provide a noun after these alternatives.

Is "avoid incidental" grammatically correct?

According to Ludwig AI, the phrase "avoid incidental" is not grammatically correct because it lacks a direct object. It requires a noun to clarify what is being avoided.

How can I use "avoid incidental" in a sentence correctly?

To use the concept correctly, add a noun after "incidental" to specify what you are trying to avoid. For example, "avoid incidental damage" or "avoid incidental exposure".