be of useful

USAGE SUMMARY

'be of useful' is not grammatically correct in written English.
If you mean to say that something is useful, you would say 'be useful'. For example, "This tool can be useful when trying to fix a car."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

And a player who says he would sign a new contract tomorrow if it was offered so he could see out his days representing the Sicilian club until his legs, and his goals, cease to be of useful service.

The New York Times - Sports

It was decided that a cost analysis of delivery services may be of useful information.

Urban Rail Transit

The character of the lost is permanently corrupted: any virtue that was theirs is turned to wrongdoing, and any hope that they might even achieve peace with God, much less be of useful service to him, comes to nothing.

SEP

The suggested model for ( rho_{pfb}^{U} ) can be of useful guide for a cost-effective design with minimum amount of unbonded CFRP tendons for compression-controlled beam section, avoiding a catastrophic failure resulting from undesired tensile fracture of tendons.

International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials

The teaching methodology and experiences results described in this article can be of useful references to other English-speaking courses in a non-native English-speaking country for quality improvement.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Such information could be of useful for engineers, researchers and designers to assess the suitability of applying these systems and technologies in different building types and examine the potential of energy and cost savings.

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

The study is of useful consideration for Australians, of course – we're afflicted with alcohol problems of our own.

The Guardian - Opinion

Structural parameters are the tools of Complex Network Analysis which are of useful to understand salient properties of complex systems.

Journal of Big Data

We want our real estate agents to be full of useful content.

Huffington Post

The loss is of "the useful monotony of happiness".

The New York Times - Books

(Portrait commissions were, of course, useful for paying the bills).

The Guardian - Arts

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the grammatically correct form "be useful" instead of "be of useful". For example, say, "This information can be useful" not "This information can be of useful".

Common error

Avoid inserting "of" before the adjective "useful" when intending to describe something's utility. The proper phrasing is to use the adjective directly after "be", such as in "This advice will be useful".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "be of useful" is grammatically incorrect. It attempts to function as a predicative adjective, where it should describe a subject as possessing the quality of being useful, but Ludwig AI indicates the correct form is simply "be useful".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "be of useful" appears in a variety of sources including news, media, and science, it is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, the correct form is "be useful". Therefore, it is best to use the grammatically sound alternative. Related phrases such as "be helpful", "be beneficial", and "be valuable" offer better alternatives for expressing the intended meaning. To avoid errors, always ensure that you are using "be useful" instead of the incorrect "be of useful".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be helpful

Replaces "useful" with its direct synonym, resulting in a grammatically correct phrase with a similar meaning.

be beneficial

Substitutes "useful" with a word indicating advantage or gain.

be advantageous

Replaces "useful" with a more formal term indicating benefit or gain.

be valuable

Indicates something with worth or importance.

be effective

Focuses on the capacity to produce a desired result.

be practical

Emphasizes the suitability for a particular purpose or situation.

be worthwhile

Highlights the value in terms of the time, effort, or cost.

be constructive

Highlights that something is building up or creating something positive.

serve a purpose

Indicates that something fulfills a specific function or role.

be of service

Emphasizes the act of providing assistance or help.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say something provides help?

The correct way is to say something "is useful" or "can be useful" depending on the context. "Be of useful" is grammatically incorrect.

What can I say instead of "be of useful"?

Since "be of useful" is incorrect, you can use alternatives like "be helpful", "be beneficial", or "be valuable" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "be of useful" or "be useful"?

"Be useful" is the correct form. "Be of useful" is grammatically incorrect.

Is "of useful" ever correct?

The phrase "of useful" is rarely correct. It is almost always better to say "be useful".