refer at

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "refer at" is not correct in standard written English.
It is not commonly used and may lead to confusion; the correct preposition should be "to" instead of "at." Example: "Please refer to the document for more information."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

38 human-written examples

Universities that agree to the renewed version of the scheme are trained to refer "at risk" students to Prevent officials.

The Guardian

A letter to the mayor's office from Eugene J. Bockman, director of the municipal reference service, does not refer at all to 1625, but says, "The first Dutch colonists arrived here about the middle of May 1623 after it had been declared a Dutch province".

The New York Times

That, in turn, means that names do not refer — at least not semantically — and that, perhaps surprisingly, the reference a name turns out to be wholly inconsequantial for the truth conditions of the utterance in which it occurs.

SEP

Inovation in school refer at redefining the whole design of teaching, learning and evaluation process.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Indeed, do words "refer" at all, or do they instead provide subjective commentary, a point of view?

The New York Times

The present treaties linking the 15 member states refer at times to the European Community (its former name), at times to the European Union.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

22 human-written examples

To identify women 60 years of age or older at risk for osteoporosis, provide education, and refer at-risk women to physicians through a community pharmacy screening program and to develop a model in community pharmacies for this service.

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

Erie County's Health Department receives $244,000 a year from the CDC to help fund five full-time employees and three part-time employees who refer at-risk children for testing, investigate the causes of lead poisoning and conduct educational home visits.

Huffington Post

A simple instrument for the identification of the most common hereditary breast cancer syndrome phenotypes, showing good specificity and temporal stability was developed and could be used as a screening tool in primary care to refer at-risk individuals for genetic evaluations.

BMC Cancer

All referred AT patients accepted an invitation to be part of the evaluation and were therefore included in the study.

BMC Health Services Research

He refers at one point to "our pure friendship".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "refer to" instead of "refer at". This ensures grammatical correctness and clarity in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using the preposition "at" with "refer". The correct preposition is almost always "to". For example, instead of saying "refer at the document", say "refer to the document".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "refer at" functions as a verb phrase where the verb "refer" is followed by the preposition "at". However, according to Ludwig AI, this construction is grammatically incorrect in standard English. The correct construction is "refer to".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

29%

News & Media

29%

Wiki

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "refer at" is considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. Ludwig AI confirms that the correct phrasing is ""refer to"". While some instances of "refer at" can be found in various sources, including news and scientific publications, these are generally regarded as errors. For clear and correct communication, always use ""refer to"" instead. This ensures your writing is grammatically sound and easily understood.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

refer to

This is the correct and most common way to express directing attention to something.

make reference to

A more formal way of saying "refer to".

cite

Implies mentioning a source of information to give credit or support an argument.

allude to

Means to hint at something indirectly.

direct attention to

Emphasizes guiding focus towards something.

point to

Suggests highlighting or indicating something specific.

mention

Simply means to speak about something briefly.

speak of

Similar to mention, but can also imply a more detailed discussion.

make mention of

A slightly more formal variation of "mention".

touch on

Implies briefly addressing a topic.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "refer" in a sentence?

The correct way to use "refer" is with the preposition "to", as in "refer to". For example, "Please "refer to" the documentation for more details".

What can I say instead of "refer at"?

The correct phrase is ""refer to"". Avoid using "refer at" as it is grammatically incorrect.

Which is correct, "refer at" or "refer to"?

"Refer to" is the correct phrase. "Refer at" is not grammatically correct in standard English.

How to avoid mistakes when using the verb "refer"?

Always remember that "refer" typically requires the preposition "to". If you want to indicate directing someone or something's attention, use ""refer to"".