being the majority of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "being the majority of" is not correct in standard written English.
It is unclear and may not convey a clear meaning without additional context. Example: "Being the majority of the committee, they had the power to make decisions."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

All of them needed medical attention, being the majority of them discharged to ordinary ward hospitalization.

Intensive Care Medicine Experimental

Low-degree nodes, instead, being the majority of nodes, form a generic periphery of lower mean degree than the core [46, 47].

Computational Social Networks

With fuel and water being the majority of the tonnage hauled, the Army has developed a model from historical casualty data.

Huffington Post

(I'm thinking here of musician John Mayer saying he had a "David Duke c**k," because it only responded to white women. Black womens' response, for the most part: awesome, dude! Less dysfunction for us!) Black women also get oddly, back-handedly criticized for being too functional -- for being the majority of black college graduates and growing old alone.

Huffington Post

The analysis of triticale plants uncovered nearly 51% of rearranged bands in the polyploid, being the majority of these modifications, due to the loss of rye bands (83%).

Plosone

A total of 169 RRA were found using the 167 tumor samples (Table S1), being the majority of these regions annotated as copy number variation (CNV) that occurs in normal samples.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

Surprisingly, so were the majority of doctors.

The New York Times

But why are the majority of publicised stories negative?

The Guardian

In what economic class are the majority of uninsured Americans?

The New York Times

–Where are the majority of this company's factories?

The New York Times

So are the majority of people who hire him.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the context. In formal writing, a more precise term like "comprising the majority" or "representing the majority" may be more suitable than "being the majority of".

Common error

Avoid using "being the majority of" when a more direct verb can clearly express the relationship. For example, instead of saying 'Being the majority of students, they voted...', say 'As the majority of students, they voted...' or 'Because they were the majority of students, they voted...'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "being the majority of" functions as a modifier, attempting to provide context or reason. However, Ludwig indicates that this phrase isn't always grammatically sound. It often introduces a clause explaining why something is happening or who holds power in a given situation. A stronger verb may improve the construction.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

35%

Wiki

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "being the majority of" is used to provide context based on numerical dominance. However, it's often considered grammatically awkward, as Ludwig confirms. While it appears across various sources, its clarity can be improved by using stronger verbs or alternative phrasing. For formal writing, phrases like "constituting the majority of" or "representing the majority of" are preferable. The analyzed examples show that while common, careful consideration should be given to clarity and grammatical correctness. As Ludwig AI suggests, stronger verb choices can resolve this issue.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

constituting the majority of

Replaces "being" with "constituting", emphasizing the act of forming the majority.

making up the majority of

Emphasizes the components that form the majority.

forming the majority of

Similar to "constituting", but with a slightly more active voice.

representing the majority of

Focuses on the idea that the group in question stands for the majority.

comprising the majority of

Highlights the elements that make up the majority.

the majority of which are

Rephrases to focus on the composition of the majority within a larger group.

composing the greater part of

Emphasizes the size and significance of the majority.

comprising the bulk of

Highlights the substantial size of the majority.

accounting for most of

Indicates that the majority is responsible for a significant portion.

dominating the percentage of

Emphasizes the dominance of the majority in terms of percentage.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "being the majority of"?

Alternatives include phrases like "constituting the majority of", "making up the majority of", or "forming the majority of", which often provide greater clarity and grammatical correctness.

Is "being the majority of" grammatically correct?

While sometimes used, "being the majority of" can be grammatically awkward and may not convey a clear meaning without additional context. Using stronger verbs like 'constitute', 'form', or 'comprise' often results in a more precise and grammatically sound sentence.

How can I improve the clarity of sentences using a phrase similar to "being the majority of"?

Ensure that the subject performing the action is clearly identified. Instead of "Being the majority, the decision was made", specify who the majority is: "Because students were the majority, the decision was made."

What's the difference between "being the majority of" and "constituting the majority of"?

"Constituting the majority of" implies a direct and active role in forming that majority. "Being the majority of" can be vague and doesn't inherently explain how that majority came to be. Using "constituting" often results in a clearer and more impactful statement.