select roughly

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "select roughly" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when you want to indicate that a choice or selection should be made with an approximate or non-exact criterion. Example: "Please select roughly five items from the list that you think are the most important."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Caucuses like the one Dr. Abu-Raghif attended have been convening around Iraq to select roughly 1,000 delegates, who will hold a national conference in Baghdad in the next week.

The New York Times

Each week, they visit half a dozen suppliers, mostly in lower Manhattan and at Hunts Point, and select roughly twenty thousand pounds of prime beef, plus the odd quarter-ton of lamb.

The New Yorker

TechStars will select roughly ten companies – evidently focused on cloud computing and infrastructure – to participate.

TechCrunch

TechCrunch editors will select roughly 15-30 early-stage stortups to compete and will provide the founder of each chosen company with expert pitch coaching.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

They had selected roughly 100 emergency rooms whose locations and demographics mirrored the nation's 5,300 hospitals with emergency services, and the monitoring of that network led to their statistical portraits.

The New York Times

"When people look at these pictures, they say, 'Oh, O.K., this is about standard WASP Southampton bourgeoisie comfortable living,' " said Mr. Storr, who selected roughly 70 paintings, drawings and prints dating from the 1940s to 2010 for the show, which runs through March 10, from Mr. Katz's private collection.

The New York Times

We selected roughly half of the websites and apply our data cleaning pipeline.

EPJ Data Science

The expert system selects roughly 2 to 3%% of the cargoes to be classified into Class Two (C2) or Class Three (C3).

Journal of Shipping and Trade

The cross section was selected roughly in an east-west direction to identify the velocity variation along the coastline, effects of the topography, and alluvial creek beds.

Earth, Planets and Space

To test that assumption, the trio downloaded millions of social media posts from more than 1300 sites between January and July 2011, then selected roughly 127,000 of them to examine in more detail.

Science Magazine

From these 500 variables, we selected roughly 160 which are believed to be most essential to the development of the intellectual quality of knowledge work for our network analysis.

EPJ Data Science

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "select roughly" when you need to indicate an approximate number or quantity chosen, rather than a precise one.

Common error

Avoid using "select roughly" if you're dealing with situations where exact figures or choices are crucial. In such cases, opt for more precise language.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "select roughly" functions as a verb phrase, where 'select' is the main verb and 'roughly' is an adverb modifying the verb. It indicates an action of choosing in an approximate manner. Ludwig AI confirms the correctness and usability of this phrase.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "select roughly" is a grammatically correct and usable verb phrase that means to choose something in an approximate or non-exact manner. While not very frequent, as confirmed by Ludwig, it appears in diverse contexts, including scientific articles, news reports, and wiki guides. Ludwig AI highlights its correct usage. It's crucial to use this phrase when approximation is acceptable; otherwise, more precise language should be chosen. Related phrases include "choose approximately" and "pick about". Overall, "select roughly" serves as a useful tool for indicating an approximate selection process.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

choose approximately

Replaces "select" with "choose" and "roughly" with "approximately", maintaining similar meaning.

roughly choose

Inverts the order of words, with a slight change in emphasis.

select approximately

Uses "approximately" instead of "roughly" with "select", maintaining similar meaning.

pick about

Uses "pick" instead of "select" and "about" instead of "roughly", suggesting an informal selection.

choose around

Substitutes "select" with "choose" and "roughly" with "around", implying a non-exact selection.

approximate selection

Nominalizes the phrase, focusing on the act of approximating a selection.

estimate and select

Adds an estimation step before selection, emphasizing the approximate nature.

sort of select

Employs "sort of" to indicate a degree of uncertainty in the selection process.

tentatively select

Highlights the provisional nature of the selection.

select in the neighborhood of

Use a verbose formulation to express proximity and approximation.

FAQs

How can I use "select roughly" in a sentence?

You can use "select roughly" when you want to indicate that a choice or selection should be made with an approximate or non-exact criterion. For example: "Please "select roughly" five items from the list that you think are the most important."

What are some alternatives to "select roughly"?

Alternatives include "choose approximately", "pick about", or "estimate and select", depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "select roughly" versus "select exactly"?

"Select roughly" is suitable when an approximation is acceptable or necessary, while "select exactly" is appropriate when precision is required.

Is there a difference in formality between "select roughly" and its alternatives?

"Select roughly" is fairly neutral. Alternatives like "pick about" are more informal, while "choose approximately" might be perceived as slightly more formal.