elusive to detect

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "elusive to detect" is not correct in English.
A more appropriate expression would be "elusive to detect" could be used when describing something that is difficult to find or identify. Example: "The rare species of bird was elusive to detect, making it a challenge for researchers to study its behavior."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

But while helium hydride was produced in the laboratory almost a century ago, it has proved elusive to detect in space, despite predictions that it should be present in gas clouds in which stars are born, as well as in gas expelled by stars as they die.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Most imperiled species are rare or elusive and difficult to detect, which makes gathering data to estimate their response to habitat restoration a challenge.

Ecological Indicators

If the effort is successful, Mavalvala says, it will also lead to much more sensitive instruments for LIGO, which is attempting to detect elusive phenomena called gravity waves.

Science Magazine

But, they said, the clarity with which they saw nothing spurred hopes that such experiments are approaching the rigor and sensitivity necessary to detect the elusive gravitational glue of the cosmos.

The New York Times - Science

After decades of tinkering with fiber optics, metal tubes, and plastic ribbons, scientists have discovered that all you need to detect an elusive form of electromagnetic ray is a bare metal wire.

Science Magazine

With recent advancements on SNP array technology, it is now possible to detect previously elusive genetic variations with high resolution.

Plosone

The role of p57 in cell-cycle control and its biological functions have been elusive, mainly for the difficulty to detect this protein in many cells and tissues as well as the fact that mice lacking p57 show strong developmental defects (Pateras et al, 2009).

EMBO Journal

In recent literature, magnetic nanoparticle label-based sorting has been used to detect and sort elusive circulating tumor cells.

Micro and Nano Systems Letters

The actual H. pylori ligand(s) of TLR2 are so far elusive and high efforts are made to detect the relevant contributors in activation.

BioMed Research International

But in these times of trouble, a minister prepared to defend scientists could prove as elusive as the neutrinos they are trying to detect.

The Economist

Yes, reports coming out of the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERNN) that scientists who've been working tirelessly to detect traces of the elusive particle are set to make some sort of announcement this Wednesday about how they've got their hands on enough evidence to say with a certain level of confidence that the Higgs boson "almost certainly does exist" are tantalizing.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing something difficult to find, consider using "difficult to detect" or "hard to detect" as clearer and more grammatically sound alternatives to "elusive to detect".

Common error

Avoid placing adjectives like "elusive", which describe a quality of something, directly before verbs like "to detect". Instead, use adverbs or rephrase to clarify the relationship between the adjective and the action.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "elusive to detect" attempts to combine an adjective describing a quality (elusive) with a verb (detect). Grammatically, it's unconventional. Ludwig AI suggests that this phrase is not correct in English, and suggests using the correct form such as "difficult to detect" or "hard to detect".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

58%

News & Media

40%

Academia

2%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "elusive to detect" attempts to describe something hard to find but is considered grammatically incorrect by Ludwig AI. While understandable, it is better to use phrases like "difficult to detect" or "hard to detect". The phrase appears mostly in scientific and news contexts, attempting to convey the challenge of identifying or observing something. To improve clarity and grammatical precision, consider using the suggested alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to detect

Replaces "elusive" with "difficult", maintaining the core meaning of detection being challenging.

hard to detect

Uses "hard" as a synonym for "elusive", simplifying the language while preserving the meaning.

challenging to detect

Emphasizes the difficulty as a challenge, slightly shifting the focus but keeping the core idea.

not easily detected

Uses a passive construction to express the difficulty in detection.

difficult to identify

Shifts the focus from detection to identification, suitable when the goal is recognition rather than simple detection.

evades detection

Uses a verb to describe the subject avoiding detection.

escapes detection

Similar to "evades detection", this phrase highlights the act of avoiding being detected.

difficult to discern

Focuses on the difficulty in distinguishing or recognizing something.

obscure and hard to find

Combines the ideas of being hidden and difficult to locate.

undetectable by

Specifies that something cannot be detected by a certain method or instrument.

FAQs

What is a better way to say "elusive to detect"?

Instead of "elusive to detect", consider using alternatives like "difficult to detect", "hard to detect", or "challenging to detect" for improved clarity and grammatical correctness.

Is "elusive to detect" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "elusive to detect" is not considered grammatically standard. Using "difficult to detect" or "hard to detect" is preferable.

How can I use "elusive" and "detect" in the same sentence correctly?

You can say "The "elusive creature" was difficult to detect" or "It is difficult to detect the "elusive phenomenon"" to properly connect the adjective "elusive" with a noun and then describe the action of detecting it.

When is it appropriate to use "elusive" in scientific writing?

"Elusive" can be used to describe something that is hard to find or capture. For example, "The Higgs boson was an "elusive particle" until the Large Hadron Collider detected it."