it requires long

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it requires long" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly when trying to express that something takes a long time. Example: "It requires long to complete the project" should be "It requires a long time to complete the project."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

The need of heat treatment further increases costs, particularly since it requires long heating and cooling cycles in order to minimize distortion of the thin stainless steel plates.

Surface and Coatings Technology

However, to manage the chronic conditions, it requires long term and frequent intravitreal injections of these drugs, resulting in poor patient compliance and suboptimal treatment.

Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

However, in order to grasp the influence on a stress state when some shape parameter has changed, FEM analyses for each shape are required, and it requires long time.

International Journal of Mechanical Sciences

But in any Windows machine — even a brand new one with top-of-the-line hardware — it requires long minutes to enumerate and display the installed software; and to make things worse the "Add and Remove Software" control panel item doesn't actually show you all the installed applications.

TechCrunch

It requires long hours, digging deep, and pushing back any boundaries and comfort levels.

HuffPost

It requires long genome sequences to predict complete gene structures.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

"The potential is there," he said, "but it requires long-term contracts and relationships".

The New York Times

Because obesity is a chronic illness, it requires long-term lifestyle changes unless surgery is performed to effect permanent changes in the digestion of food.

Encyclopedia Britannica

There is one final reason pneumonia remains the world's Cinderella disease: treating it requires long-term investment in healthcare systems skewed towards poor communities.

The Guardian - Business

The dirty secret of the free market is that the knowledge economy is not particularly profitable for private enterprise, as it requires long-term and risky investment in research and development that can be easily stolen by rivals.

The Guardian - Opinion

Entrepreneurship drives economic growth, but it requires long-term patient investments in research, a culture that accepts failure, agile and skilled talent, and a resilient ecosystem that will enable workers and ideas to flow easily from one firm to the next.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing time requirements, use phrases like "it takes a long time" or "it requires a long period" to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity.

Common error

Avoid saying "it requires long" when you mean something takes a long time. Instead, specify what is required, such as "it requires a long period of time" or rephrase using "it takes a long time".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it requires long" functions as a statement of necessity combined with a descriptor of duration. However, its grammatical structure is flawed, as noted by Ludwig, since 'long' functions as an adjective instead of a noun, thereby not completing the phrase in a grammatical way.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

39%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Wiki

4%

Encyclopedias

4%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "it requires long" appears in various sources, it is grammatically incorrect and not recommended for standard English. According to Ludwig, this phrase is often misused when intending to express the need for a significant amount of time. More appropriate alternatives include phrases like "it takes a long time" or "it requires a lengthy duration". Ludwig examples shows that, despite its existence in a few contexts, using grammatically correct phrases ensures better clarity and credibility, especially in formal and professional writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it needs a long time

Replaces "requires" with "needs" and adds "a time" for grammatical correctness.

it takes a long time

Uses the verb "takes" to indicate the duration needed, a more common and correct construction.

it necessitates a long duration

Emphasizes the need for a significant period, employing more formal language.

a long period is needed

Shifts the focus to the time period itself, highlighting its necessity.

it calls for a lengthy period

Uses "calls for" to express the requirement, suggesting a formal appeal.

it demands considerable time

Emphasizes the substantial amount of time that is required.

it requires an extended period

Replaces "long" with "extended" to specify duration in a more formal way.

it involves a lengthy process

Focuses on the process itself, indicating that it is time-consuming.

it presupposes an extensive timeframe

Highlights the underlying assumption of a broad timeframe.

it mandates prolonged effort

Highlights continuous effort over an extended period.

FAQs

How can I correctly express that something takes a lot of time?

Instead of "it requires long", use phrases like "it takes a long time", "it requires a lengthy duration", or "it needs a long period" for better grammatical accuracy.

What's the difference between "it requires long" and "it requires a long time"?

"It requires long" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "it requires a long time", where "time" acts as the noun that is required.

Is "it requires long" ever correct?

No, "it requires long" is generally not considered correct in standard English. It's better to use alternative phrasing such as "it takes a long time" or "it requires a lengthy duration".

What are some alternatives to "it requires long" for formal writing?

For formal contexts, you can use alternatives like "it necessitates a long duration", "it demands considerable time", or "a long period is needed".