by building upon

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "by building upon" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something is being developed or improved based on existing ideas, knowledge, or structures. Example: "The new software was developed by building upon the previous version's features to enhance user experience."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The spiral is practiced in different ways at different institutions, but, essentially it recognises that courses in an undergraduate medical degree are components of a larger whole, and that, in addition to fitting together like pieces of a puzzle, they build up progressively, adding to student learning by building upon previously acquired knowledge.

BMC Medical Education

Job quality is enhanced by building upon the strengths of the economy.

University of California, Berkeley

By building upon acquisitions such as Metaweb's Freebase, Google now has about half billion entries of all kinds.

The Guardian

Not until the '80s did some younger saxophonists, including Mr. Mahanthappa, vindicate him by building upon his vision.

The New York Times

To address this challenge, in this paper, we propose the notion of business process families by building upon the well-known software engineering discipline software product line engineering.

Information Systems

Conservatives can rekindle the public's interest in this barrier by building upon the victory Roberts gave them in positioning the court for stricter scrutiny of congressional actions under the Commerce Clause.

The Washington Post

Rather than reinventing the wheel or splurging on expensive R&D projects, they develop new solutions by building upon existing infrastructure and assets, as well as by recombining existing solutions.

Harvard Business Review

However, several research groups, including some at large technology companies like Facebook and Google, are making steady progress toward improving computers' language skills by building upon recent advances in machine learning.

MIT Technology Review

Liverpool will be hoping Luis Suarez continue his incredible form by building upon his 29 league goals in 2013, and there will be a heavy reliance on the Uruguayan to score the goals with Daniel Sturridge still unavailable through injury.

Independent

France was once the proud home of Champagne Football, and P.S.G. hopes to revive the sentiment by building upon its biggest summer signing: Javier Pastore, a young Argentine for whom the team paid a Ligue 1-record 42 million euros.

The New York Times

"As scientists and engineers, we work by building upon a foundation laid by others". There are over 1,000 research articles in the database, and that number rises steadily as new NASA-funded research is released.

Harvard University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "by building upon", ensure it's followed by a clear indication of what's being built upon. Be specific about the existing knowledge, skills, or resources that are serving as the foundation for further development.

Common error

Avoid using "by building upon" without specifying what is being built upon. For instance, instead of saying "The project succeeded by building upon previous efforts", specify "The project succeeded by building upon the data collected in Phase 1".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "by building upon" functions as a prepositional phrase that introduces a clause explaining the method or basis for an action or development. Ludwig AI shows that it's commonly used to indicate that something is being constructed or improved based on pre-existing elements.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

32%

News & Media

30%

Academia

22%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

6%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "by building upon" is a versatile prepositional phrase used to indicate that something is developed or improved based on existing foundations. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and common usage across various contexts. It is most frequently found in scientific, news, and academic sources, suggesting a formal to neutral register. To ensure clarity, specify what is being built upon. Alternatives include "leveraging", "capitalizing on", and "expanding on".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

leveraging

Focuses on using existing resources or advantages effectively for further development.

capitalizing on

Emphasizes taking advantage of opportunities or existing strengths.

expanding on

Highlights the act of elaborating or developing something in greater detail.

developing from

Implies a gradual growth or evolution from a starting point.

extending from

Suggests adding to or prolonging something that already exists.

drawing on

Indicates using something as a source of information or support.

making use of

Highlights the practical application of existing resources.

taking advantage of

Focuses on benefiting from existing opportunities or conditions.

progressing from

Implies advancement or development from a prior state or condition.

furthering with

Suggests advancing a cause or project using existing tools or methods.

FAQs

How can I use "by building upon" in a sentence?

Use "by building upon" to show that something is developed or improved based on existing ideas, knowledge, or structures. For example, "The company expanded its market share "by building upon" its strong brand reputation".

What are some alternatives to "by building upon"?

You can use alternatives such as "leveraging", "capitalizing on", or "expanding on", depending on the context.

Is "by building upon" formal or informal?

"By building upon" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts, although it is more common in academic, professional, and news-related writing.

What's the difference between "by building upon" and "by using"?

"By using" simply indicates the employment of something. "By building upon", in contrast, indicates a progressive development or enhancement using an existing foundation.