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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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serves us to

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "serves us to" is not standard in written English and may be considered awkward or incorrect.
It could be used in contexts where you want to express that something is beneficial or useful to us, but it would be clearer to rephrase it. Example: "This new policy serves us to improve our efficiency in the workplace."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

An example of an Ethernet bridge serves us to illustrate our approach and present some results.

This method serves us to also detect wormhole and pulse-delay attacks.

This serves us to efficiently cut off useless branches in the state space, reducing significantly the scheduling time.

Whatever our current experience of life may be, it always serves us to remember that things are in a constant state of flux and that whatever is going on in our lives right now, will pass.

News & Media

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

The FACM, as intermediate stage of calculation, served us to build all the rules needed to model the entrepreneurial intention using a fuzzy set theory.

It might serve us to have a chorus of doomed sailors in tiers upstage who can help with the exposition and keep the story moving.

News & Media

The New Yorker

"It doesn't take long to figure out that it doesn't serve us to sell any of our businesses for the next few years," he said.

News & Media

The Guardian

This knowledge will serve us to establish confidence chains among devices.

One of its functions is the callback function named "ST_RadioReceiveIsrCallback" which is going to serve us to get back the value of the RSSI.

Known benchmark solutions serve us to check the accuracy and stability of the method and to make conclusions on a reasonable form and on the sizes of edge elements.

It can also serve us to question our reality.

News & Media

Huffington Post
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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "serves us to" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more grammatically correct alternatives like "helps us to" or "allows us to".

Common error

A common mistake is to use "serve" directly followed by "to" to indicate purpose. "Serve" typically requires an object and often a preposition like "as" or "for". Instead of saying, "This serves us to...", say "This serves as a way to..." or "This helps us to..."

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

87%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "serves us to" attempts to function as a purpose connector, linking an action or object to its intended outcome for a group of people. However, this usage is considered grammatically incorrect.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

25%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "serves us to" is an attempt to connect an action or object with its intended benefit for a group, but Ludwig AI flags it as non-standard and grammatically questionable. While examples can be found in diverse sources like science journals and news outlets, it is advisable to replace it with clearer and more accepted alternatives such as "helps us to" or "allows us to". Avoiding "serves us to" will ensure clarity and grammatical correctness in your writing, especially in formal contexts.

FAQs

What is a more grammatically sound alternative to "serves us to"?

Alternatives include "helps us to", "allows us to", or "enables us to". These options provide clearer and more widely accepted ways to express purpose or function.

Is "serves us to" considered correct English?

No, "serves us to" is not considered standard English. It's best to avoid this phrasing in formal writing and opt for more common alternatives.

How can I use "serve" correctly when indicating a purpose?

Use "serve" with a preposition like "as" or "for". For example, "This serves as a tool to..." or "This serves for the purpose of...". Alternatively, rephrase the sentence using "help" or "enable".

What's wrong with saying "serves us to"?

The construction of "serves us to" is grammatically awkward. The verb "serve" typically needs an object and a preposition to clearly express purpose. Without them, the sentence sounds unnatural and is considered incorrect.

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Source & Trust

87%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: