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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
prior hand
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "prior hand" is not grammatically correct and is not found in English dictionaries.
If you want to express something that happened before a particular event, you could use phrases like "in advance," "previously," or "beforehand." For example: I prepared the presentation in advance so that I would be ready prior to the meeting.
⚠ May contain grammatical issues
Science
News & Media
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
2 human-written examples
We did not choose an approach such as calculating the convex hull of the touches and choosing the centroid of the very bounding box as the center of the circular area because we wanted to avoid a prior hand registration session (as in Kin et al.'s study, [11]).
Hence it is argued that any evolutionary pressures evoked by prior hand preparations of wild seeds was dwarfed by the advent of cereal agriculture, which in turn provided only a partial evolutionary preparation for the modern Western diet.
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
58 human-written examples
All forms of jewellery were removed from their hands prior to hand washing, since it had the potential of retaining some bacteria, which could affect the recovery pre and post values.
Direct face-to-animal contact or indirect facial contact via an individual's hands occurred prior to hand hygiene in 60% (277/463) of opportunities after a "dirty" procedure, 49% (75/153) of opportunities after glove removal, and of 69% (3003/4377) of opportunities after regular contact with an animal during 96% (2191/2278) of all appointments.
Science
Plants were left to translocate CF for 5 h prior to hand sectioning (2 mm) and examination of stem and sink tissues for fluorescence using a MRC2000 confocal microscope (Bio-Rad, Hemel Hemstead, UK).
Science
It is important to notice that the plane model was chosen because, in the process of grasping, finger extension is always performed prior to hand closure, that is, before the appropriate finger flexion sequence is performed.
The fifth ball of his over did, though, jagging away from Petersen's forward defensive and into Prior's hands.
News & Media
I like to point out, that sipgate has not been heard by the court prior to handing out its ruling.
News & Media
With priors in hand, missing values are imputed based on the final converged estimates for each of the m datasets.
Prior to handing out team assignments, I recommend dedicating a 60-90 minute session for talking about the project (whatever its components are) and the importance of team process.
Academia
Fabio Capello advised Carroll, 22, to "drink less" prior to handing the former Newcastle man his second England start in the 1-1 drawithth Ghana.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
When indicating something done before using your hands, clarify the action. For example, instead of saying "prior hand cleaning", specify "clean your hands beforehand."
Common error
Avoid using "prior hand" when you mean something was done with the hand before something else. Instead, clarify the relationship; for example, "wash your hands before eating" is clearer than assuming "prior hand" implies cleanliness.
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "prior hand" functions as an adjective modifier intending to describe something related to the hand that occurred earlier in time. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, the phrase is not grammatically correct, and its usage is limited and potentially confusing.
Frequent in
Science
50%
News & Media
50%
Formal & Business
0%
Less common in
Academia
0%
Encyclopedias
0%
Wiki
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, while the phrase "prior hand" appears in some scientific and news contexts, Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically incorrect. It aims to indicate a temporal relationship involving the hand but is often unclear. Better alternatives include "beforehand", "previously", or rephrasing for clarity. Due to its infrequent and questionable usage, it's best to avoid "prior hand" in formal or precise writing, opting for more descriptive and grammatically sound alternatives.
More alternative expressions(10)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
earlier handling
Replaces "prior hand" with "earlier handling", simply indicating a past instance of managing or dealing with something.
previous handling
Substitutes "prior hand" with "previous handling", focusing on the act of managing or dealing with something before.
preceding manual action
Replaces "prior hand" with "preceding manual action", highlighting the temporal sequence and the physical action.
beforehand involvement
Replaces "prior hand" with "beforehand involvement", emphasizing temporal precedence.
initial hand involvement
Changes to "initial hand involvement", emphasizing the start of participation or action.
advance hand preparation
Transforms "prior hand" to "advance hand preparation", specifying early planning or readiness.
preliminary hand contact
Replaces "prior hand" with "preliminary hand contact", specifying that the hand was in touch with it before anything else.
pre-existing manual control
Changes to "pre-existing manual control", stressing a previously available ability to manage something manually.
past manual intervention
Substitutes "prior hand" with "past manual intervention", focusing on a previous instance of acting directly.
antecedent hand activity
Transforms "prior hand" to "antecedent hand activity", highlighting the preceding nature of the physical action.
FAQs
What does "prior" usually mean in similar contexts?
"Prior" typically indicates something happening earlier or before something else. In the context of actions, it specifies the sequence of events. In many cases, you can use similar alternatives like "before", "previously", or "beforehand".
How can I correctly indicate an action done with the hands before another action?
Instead of "prior hand", use clearer phrasing like "wash your "hands before" eating" or "manually prepared beforehand" to explicitly describe the sequence and method.
Which is a better way to phrase 'actions with my hand before'?
Phrases such as "actions with my "hands before"" can be replaced with "manual actions preceding" or "steps I took before by "manually" handling". These are more descriptive and grammatically sound.
Are there specific scenarios where using 'prior' is more appropriate?
Yes, "prior" is more appropriate when indicating precedence in time or order. However, coupling it directly with "hand" creates an awkward construction that is generally avoidable by using alternatives such as "beforehand" or rephrasing the sentence for clarity.
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested