located a couple

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "located a couple" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It may be intended to refer to the location of two items or people, but it lacks context and clarity. Example: "The store is located a couple of blocks away from here."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

15 human-written examples

The Main Street payoff is Burke's Bakery and Delicatessen, located a couple of blocks past the Hub and run by the same family for four generations.

The New York Times - Travel

He's even located a couple of rare titles ("Those Redheads from Seattle," showing on Aug. 16, and "Sangaree," on Aug. 26) in the vaults of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The New York Times

But all of that did happen, because at some point someone decided that, on a relatively small island packed with people, a key power station should be located a couple hundred feet from a river, and until the folly of that decision was quite literally made brilliantly clear, it seemed foolish too difficult, too expensive to move it.

The New Yorker

But all of that did happen, because at some point someone decided that, on a relatively small island packed with people, a key power station should be located a couple hundred feet from a river, and until the folly of that decision was quite literally made brilliantly clear, it seemed foolish — too difficult, too expensive — to move it.

The New Yorker

And so it was that more than 5,000 White Russians, under the care of John Maximovitch, the Orthodox Archbishop of Shanghai who would later be canonised, were taken to the island of Tubabao, located a couple of hundred metres from the coast of Guiuan.

Independent

We find that a wave radiated by a concentrated point force located a couple of wavelengths away from the cloak is almost unperturbed in magnitude and in phase.

Journal of Computational Physics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

43 human-written examples

For centuries, wedding banquets were an expression of class status, sending a message to the assembled, "symbolically locating a couple within a community," Dr. Wilcox said.

The New York Times

The 2012 Whitney Biennial at least did its job in locating a couple of recent trends: M.F.A. Outsider Art and Neo-Victoriana.

The New York Times - Arts

The berries looked like tiny cherry tomatoes, and there so many of them that, after a few minutes, we left Redzepi's 'scavenger sous-chef' with the job of locating a couple of large garbage bags and filling them.

The New Yorker

The berries looked like tiny cherry tomatoes, and there were so many of them that, after a few minutes, we left Redzepi's "scavenger sous-chef," who had driven us out that morning — Redzepi hates driving — with the job of locating a couple of large garbage bags and filling them.

The New Yorker

In all of our periodical databases, we could only locate a couple of brief interviews.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing locations, use more precise language like "situated a few blocks away" or "located approximately two miles from" to improve clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "located a couple" as it lacks precision and grammatical correctness; instead, specify the distance or quantity clearly, such as "situated a few steps away" or "found two examples".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "located a couple" functions primarily as a descriptor, often indicating the position or discovery of a small number of items. However, as Ludwig AI points out, it is grammatically questionable and lacks precision in certain contexts. The phrase can also be interpreted as a shortened version of phrases like "located a couple of blocks away".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while "located a couple" appears in a variety of sources, including news and media and scientific articles, it is considered grammatically questionable and imprecise. Ludwig AI highlights this lack of clarity. For more formal or precise writing, alternatives like "situated a few", "found two", or specifying exact distances are recommended. The frequency of this expression is classified as common, however, more authoritative sources generally opt for clearer and more grammatically sound alternatives. To ensure clear communication, especially in professional or academic contexts, it’s best to avoid the ambiguity associated with this phrase.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Situated a few

Replaces "couple" with "few" to soften the numerical specification, focusing on proximity.

Situated nearby

Indicates a general location without specifying an exact number or distance.

Found a few

Emphasizes the action of finding instead of the location.

Discovered several

Implies a more active search and potentially a slightly larger quantity.

Spotted a couple

Suggests a casual or quick observation of a small number.

Found some

Replaces "a couple" with "some", to refer to a vague quantity.

Detected a pair

Focuses on finding specifically two of something.

Identified two

Highlights the act of identification, specifying the number.

Pinpointed a handful

Indicates finding a small but indefinite number of items.

Established position of two

Formally states the act of determining the location of two items.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "located a couple" to sound more professional?

Consider using alternatives like "situated nearby", "found a few", or "identified two depending on the context.

Is "located a couple" grammatically correct?

While commonly used, "located a couple" is grammatically questionable. It's better to use phrases like "situated a few" or specify the quantity with "found two".

What's the difference between "located a couple" and "found a couple"?

"Located a couple" implies the placement of something, while "found a couple" suggests discovering or retrieving something. The latter focuses on the action of finding.

How to use alternatives to "located a couple" in a sentence?

Instead of "The store is located a couple blocks away", try "The store is situated a few blocks away" or "The store is nearby".