every alternate month

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "every alternate month" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an event or occurrence that takes place every other month. Example: "The committee meets every alternate month to discuss ongoing projects and initiatives."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Guardian.co.uk reports monthly uniques every alternate month.

The Guardian

All patients came monthly to the trial center to be weighed for the first three months and then every alternate month after screening, resulting in six visits in nine months.

Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

For every month of steady income and comfortable living in Consilience, tenants spend an alternate month in Positron Prison, performing tasks for the good of their micro-society.

The New Yorker

Alternate month design.

Joint Bone Spine

Sylvia Rivera led an alternate march in New York City in 1994 to protest the exclusion of transgender people from the events.

Wikipedia

A leaky ribosome scanning mechanism was initially proposed to give rise to translational initiation at alternate AUG codons [ 6].

Breast Cancer Research

36 This was an international 18-month open-label study which evaluated AZLI when used in alternating month cycles.

Core Evidence

So with complete respect, one has to ask why you ladies are so keen to go where, well I won't say you're not wanted, you're more than welcome on Black Friday – the first week in January, between three and five, every alternate year.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

This study is a single-center prospective, controlled time-series study with an alternate-month design.

BMC Health Services Research

This quasi-experimental study is a single-center prospective, controlled time-series study with an alternate-month design (On and Off periods).

BMC Health Services Research

In a controlled trial performed at the NIH, 42 patients with pure membranous LN received (a) cyclosporine and alternate-day GCs, (b) alternate-month IV CY for six doses and alternate-day GCs, or (c) alternate-day GCs alone.

Arthritis Research and Therapy

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "every alternate month", ensure the context clearly indicates the starting point for the alternating pattern to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "bimonthly" interchangeably with "every alternate month". "Bimonthly" can mean twice a month or every two months, so use "every alternate month" to clearly indicate every two months to prevent misunderstandings.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "every alternate month" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb to specify the frequency or interval at which an action occurs. Ludwig's examples shows that it's mainly used in scientific and news contexts.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "every alternate month" is a grammatically correct adverbial phrase used to specify that an event occurs once every two months. While accurate, Ludwig shows that it's not as common as alternatives like "every other month" and can sometimes be confused with "bimonthly". To ensure clarity, especially in formal and scientific writing, it's crucial to confirm that the context removes any ambiguity of what the phrase is describing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

every other month

Changes "alternate" to "other", a more common synonym, making the phrase simpler.

occurring every other month

Changes the structure to a participial phrase, emphasizing the act of occurring.

every second month

Substitutes "alternate" with "second", clarifying the interval between occurrences.

every two months

Simplifies the phrase by directly stating the frequency without using "alternate".

bi-monthly

Replaces the phrase with a single word indicating occurrence every two months.

in alternate months

Shifts the emphasis slightly by placing "in" at the beginning of the phrase.

once every two months

Specifies the frequency more explicitly, emphasizing the two-month interval.

on a bi-monthly basis

Adds "on a ... basis" for emphasis while using the term bi-monthly.

every month, skipping one

Provides a more descriptive and less formal explanation of the frequency.

at two-month intervals

Rephrases to focus on the interval length rather than the sequential occurrence.

FAQs

What does "every alternate month" mean?

The phrase "every alternate month" means that something happens once every two months, skipping one month in between each occurrence.

What's a simpler way to say "every alternate month"?

A simpler alternative is "every other month", which conveys the same meaning.

Is "bimonthly" the same as "every alternate month"?

Not always. "Bimonthly" can be ambiguous, meaning either twice a month or every two months. To avoid confusion, use "every alternate month" or "every other month" to specifically indicate every two months.

How can I use "every alternate month" in a sentence?

Example: "The committee meets every alternate month to review project progress."