closely as though

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "closely as though" is not correct in standard written English.
It seems to be an incomplete expression and may need additional context or rephrasing to convey a clear meaning. Example: "She examined the painting closely as though it held a secret."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"What about me?" She looked at me closely, as though detecting something in my tone, then dismissed it with a wave.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The experimental protocol was designed to replicate the preclinical studies as closely as possible, though [2-C]-glycine administration was oral instead of by IV infusion.

Hepatology

When I met with Brady at his New York apartment, he kept talking about "taking care of my body," "preparing for football" and leading a life that would "optimize" his ability to endure an N.F.L. season at "peak performance". I wanted to follow this process as closely as I could, though Brady warned that once the season started he would be on "Belichick time," or hard to get to.

The New York Times - Magazine

You have to watch closely, though, as they'll burn quickly once dry.

The New York Times

He or she might not be watching the HBO show too closely though, as the ad cites how "Kaleasy" made the dragons come -- any true "Game of Thrones" fan would cringe at the mispelling of Khaleesi, the Dothraki title for queen on the show.

Huffington Post

"It was like an art project that we had to re-create as closely as possible," he says, though he adds he wishes they'd had more time.

Los Angeles Times

As though?

The Guardian - Travel

The differences may be due to biological variation, as even though the experiment was replicated as closely as possible, differences may have been introduced unintentionally.

BMC Plant Biology

In both cases, though, it behooves one to be thorough, and to read as closely as possible.

The New Yorker

Though minor league reports will not be as readily available as nightly Yankees updates, Wigginton will try to follow Wright as closely as he does Rodriguez.

The New York Times - Sports

Abbas, though, was adamant that the priority should be to deliver housing as closely as possible in line with local need.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Rephrase your sentence to use standard English. Instead of using the phrase "closely as though", try "closely as if" or restructure your sentence to improve clarity and grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid combining adverbs of manner like 'closely' with conjunctions like 'as though' without a clear comparative structure. This often leads to awkward and grammatically incorrect sentences. Consider rephrasing for better clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "closely as though" functions as an attempt to combine an adverb of manner ('closely') with a conjunction ('as though') to describe how an action is performed. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, this combination is not grammatically sound in standard English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Wiki

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Academia

8%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "closely as though" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard written English. As Ludwig AI states, it is an incomplete expression that requires rephrasing for clarity. While the phrase attempts to combine an adverb of manner with a conjunction to describe an action performed with careful attention, its usage is rare and non-standard. Instead, consider using alternatives like "closely as if" or restructuring the sentence for improved grammatical correctness and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

closely as if

Replaces 'though' with 'if' to indicate a hypothetical situation that triggers close attention.

intently as though

Substitutes 'closely' with 'intently', emphasizing the focus of the observation, and retains 'as though'.

carefully as if

Replaces 'closely' with 'carefully' to highlight the precision of the observation and changes 'though' to 'if'.

as closely as if

Adds 'as' before 'closely' to create a comparative structure while maintaining a hypothetical scenario with 'if'.

as carefully as though

Uses 'carefully' instead of 'closely' and maintains 'as though' to imply meticulous action and a hypothetical context.

in the same manner as though

Replaces 'closely' with 'in the same manner' to convey similarity in action and retains 'as though'.

with similar precision as if

Emphasizes the accuracy of the observation by using 'with similar precision' and 'as if'.

almost as closely as if

Introduces 'almost' to indicate a near equivalence and changes 'though' to 'if' for a hypothetical situation.

to a similar extent as if

Conveys a comparative degree of closeness by using 'to a similar extent' and 'as if'.

similarly as though

Uses 'similarly' to indicate resemblance in the action and retains 'as though' for hypothetical comparison.

FAQs

How can I correct the phrase "closely as though"?

The phrase "closely as though" is not grammatically correct. You can correct it by using "closely as if" or rephrasing the sentence entirely for better clarity and grammatical accuracy.

What does it mean to observe something "closely as if"?

Observing something "closely as if" means to pay very careful attention to something as though you expect to find something hidden or unexpected.

Is "closely as though" ever correct in formal writing?

No, "closely as though" is generally considered incorrect in formal writing. It's better to use more standard phrases such as "closely as if" or rephrase the sentence for improved clarity.

What are some alternatives to "closely as though" that maintain a similar meaning?

While "closely as though" is not standard, you could use phrases like "intently as though" or restructure your sentence to convey the intended meaning more clearly.