observed and continue to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "observed and continue to" is not correct as it stands; it should be "have observed and continue to" for proper grammatical structure.
You can use it when discussing ongoing actions or behaviors that started in the past and are still relevant. Example: "I have observed and continue to notice improvements in the team's performance over the last few months."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Wiki

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Minor landslides have been frequently observed, and continue to occur.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Until the system changes, we will continue to see this kind of behavior just like we did with slavery, just like we did with ordination for women and LGBT folk -- and the younger generations will observe it, take note, and continue to walk away from institutionalized religion and specifically from the PC USA).

Huffington Post

While high-level problematic glycopeptide resistance among enterococci was observed initially and continues to increase, the slow creep of vancomycin intermediate susceptibility and the fear of frank resistance among the staphylococci have precipitated increasing work leading to creation of new semisynthetic analogs.

Biochemical Pharmacology

Clinically pigmentation was observed to overcome pars plana and continue to the limbus.

BMC Ophthalmology

If the international community recognizes Hamas then its members will feel emboldened and continue to observe the call for the destruction of Israel.

The New York Times

A steep decline in the number of incident reports was observed in 2001 and continued to drop sharply through 2003.

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

For the hypoxic group that received Photofrin PDT, no obvious tumor ablation was observed and tumors continued to grow and reached the end point starting at day 4 post-treatment, and all mice reached end point by day 19.

ACS Nano

Significant inhibition of GJIC by PFOA was observed after 1 hr, and continued to inhibit GJIC until 24 hr in the acutely treated rats.

Environmental Health Perspectives

Accordingly, an increase of Treg frequency was observed at the baseline and continues to increase in the chronic phase only for those remaining untreated, when compared to HS and EC.

BMC Infectious Diseases

He was able to provide some fresh and very timely evidence in support of natural selection because it explained a phenomenon he had closely observed, one that intrigued him and continues to hold the attention of naturalists today: the close resemblance of some animals to living or inanimate objects.

The New York Times - Science

Expression can already be observed in one-cell embryos and continues to about the comma stage, when expression starts to fade out.

Genetics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing actions that started in the past and are ongoing, ensure correct grammatical structure, typically requiring an auxiliary verb like 'have'. For instance, use 'have observed and continue to notice' instead of "observed and continue to".

Common error

Avoid omitting auxiliary verbs such as 'have' or 'had' when describing past actions that extend into the present or affect the current state. Using "observed and continue to" without 'have' is grammatically incorrect.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "observed and continue to", while aiming to describe an ongoing observation, functions incorrectly due to the omission of an auxiliary verb. It's intended use is to link a past observation with a present action or state.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

34%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "observed and continue to" is flagged by Ludwig as grammatically incorrect due to the absence of an auxiliary verb. While its intent is to convey an ongoing observation, its structural flaw undermines its effectiveness, especially in formal settings. To rectify this, one should use "have observed and continue to" or explore alternatives like "have seen and still" or "have noticed and still do" for clearer and more accurate communication. The phrase appears across various contexts, including science, news, and wiki sources.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Have observed and still do

Replaces 'continue to' with 'still do', emphasizing the ongoing nature of the observation.

Have noticed and still do

Substitutes 'observed' with 'noticed', making it slightly less formal.

Observed and still observing

Uses a different verb tense ('observing') to maintain the sense of ongoing action.

Observed and subsequently continued to

Adds 'subsequently' to explicitly indicate that the continuation followed the initial observation.

Noticed and proceeded to

Replaces 'observed' with 'noticed' and 'continue' with 'proceeded', offering a formal alternative.

Watched and kept at

Provides a more informal alternative, replacing 'observed' and 'continue' with simpler verbs.

Have seen and still

Uses simpler vocabulary ('seen' instead of 'observed') while maintaining the meaning.

Witnessed and persisted in

Offers a more emphatic and formal alternative, with 'witnessed' and 'persisted'.

Observed and maintained

Replaces 'continue to' with 'maintained', implying a sustained state after the observation.

Recorded and followed through

Suggests a systematic tracking and continuation of the initial observation.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "observed and continue to" in a sentence?

The phrase "observed and continue to" is grammatically incorrect. It needs an auxiliary verb like 'have' to be correct, such as 'have observed and continue to'. Alternatively, you can rephrase it.

What can I say instead of "observed and continue to"?

You can use alternatives like "have seen and still", "have noticed and still do", or "watched and kept at" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "observed and continue to" or "have observed and continue to"?

"Have observed and continue to" is the correct phrase because it includes the auxiliary verb 'have', which is necessary for proper grammatical structure.

Is there a more formal alternative to "observed and continue to"?

Yes, a more formal alternative would be "have observed and subsequently continued to". This adds a layer of formality and explicitness to the statement.