referring about

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'referring about' is not correct usage in English.
You would use the phrase 'referring to' instead. For example, "I was referring to the discussion we had yesterday."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

The latest, published by the accounting firm KPMG in 2010, found that the center had supervised more than 600,000 injections, referring about one-third of its clients to drug treatment.

Science Magazine

In terms of design referring about users should mean there are known the characteristics of the people for whom a design is directed, however, quite often designers have not approached real users when carrying out its design process, and replace it with their own beliefs about who the user is.

Procedia Manufacturing

Film critic James Berardinelli of Reelviews Movie Reviews had once said in referring about a particular film, "...in a business climate, courage is the number one characteristic needed by anyone with the goal of fashioning a work that is deliberately thought-provoking but lacking in mass appeal.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Alarmingly, the GAO's report of all providers that referred an MR or CT examination in 2010 revealed that self-referring providers referred about twice as many of these services as providers who did not self-refer.

Huffington Post

Conclusion: HPV triage is at least as sensitive as immediate colposcopy for detecting CIN grade 3 and refers about half as many women to colposcopy.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

In the past year, they have referred about 600 cases to prosecutors, but only 18 were presented to the courts.

The New York Times

Since the programme was set up in 2006, a total of 3,934 people have been referred, about 20% of whom are deemed by panels to require further action.

The Guardian

Since 2002, the financial industry's self-regulatory groups have referred about 80 instances of suspicious SAC trading activity to federal authorities for further investigation.

The New York Times

The new system would replace an older version that uses less information and refers about 14percentt of ticket buyers for extra scrutiny.

The New York Times

He was referred about 4.5 years earlier after having total thyroidectomy that showed multifocal MTC with cervical lymph nodes metastasis.

BMC Cancer

Non-urologic hospitalists appeared to refer more patients after an abnormal PSA test than GPs, but seem to refer about as often as PCPs.

BMC Family Practice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct preposition "to" after "referring". For example, say "referring to the data" instead of "referring about the data".

Common error

Avoid substituting "to" with other prepositions like "about", "on", or "at" after "referring". The correct and accepted form is always "referring to".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "referring about" attempts to function as a prepositional phrase, typically used to connect a verb to its object, indicating the subject being referenced. However, this construction is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI also confirms that "referring about" is not correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

0%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "referring about" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal and informal writing. As Ludwig AI states, the correct form is ""referring to"". While attempts to use the phrase may appear across various sources, this does not validate its grammatical correctness. It's essential to use the correct preposition to maintain clarity and credibility. Alternative phrases such as "alluding to" or "mentioning" can be used depending on the intended meaning. Remember to always double-check preposition usage to ensure grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

referring to

Corrects the grammatical error by using the correct preposition.

in reference to

A more formal way of saying "referring to".

with regard to

Indicates the topic being considered or discussed.

alluding to

Implies a less direct reference, suggesting something without explicitly mentioning it.

relating to

Emphasizes a connection or association between topics.

mentioning

Focuses on the act of bringing something up in conversation or writing.

concerning

Highlights the subject matter being addressed.

regarding

Similar to "concerning" but can also imply consideration.

speaking of

Used to introduce a topic related to what was just discussed.

touching on

Indicates briefly discussing a topic.

FAQs

What is the correct preposition to use after "referring"?

The correct preposition to use after "referring" is "to". For example, "I am "referring to" the document you sent".

Is it ever correct to say "referring about"?

No, "referring about" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct form is ""referring to"".

What can I say instead of "referring about"?

Since "referring about" is incorrect, use ""referring to"" or alternatives like "alluding to" or "mentioning" depending on the context.

What's the difference between "referring about" and "referring to"?

"Referring about" is grammatically incorrect. The correct and commonly used phrase is ""referring to"", which means to mention or allude to something.