soon waiting

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "soon waiting" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It seems to be an attempt to express anticipation or expectation, but it lacks clarity and proper usage. Example: "I will be soon waiting for your response" does not work well; a better phrasing would be "I will soon be waiting for your response."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

My heart pounds as I swim around the pool, but I am soon waiting for the next wave.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

It would be cool, but I'm not holding my breath anytime soon, waiting for a Nike ad or something.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

"I'll just as soon wait and see how this week plays out," Ryan said.

The New York Times - Sports

By Kirk J. Rudell January 7, 2017 Don't clap too soon, wait till they're done, don't clap too soon, wait till they're done, don't clap — So this is the Symph-Tacular Winter Series.

The New Yorker

If you know a sale is coming soon, wait for it to come.

WikiHow

Note that the ideas work best if you have had your room decorated and got new furniture, so if you know you are moving house/redecorating your room soon, wait till then.

WikiHow

Her daughter will soon be waiting for the bus in the dark, she said.

The New York Times

That leaves banks with the dilemma of either offloading unwanted assets soon or waiting in the hopes that prices will recover.

The New York Times

The first casualties, after the battle of Mons, were greeted with cheers, but soon the waiting crowds were dumb with misery.

The Guardian - Books

The Unified Energy monopoly, he said, "must be broken soon, without waiting for the perfect regulatory regime or 100percenttariffff collection".

The New York Times

"Big Decision on Afghanistan" (editorial, Dec. 17) recommends that President Obama bring American and NATO troops home soon because waiting until the end of 2014 amounts to delaying the inevitable.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "soon waiting" in formal writing. Instead, opt for more grammatically correct and natural alternatives like "will soon be waiting" or "expecting shortly".

Common error

Don't combine "soon" directly with a present participle like "waiting". This creates an awkward construction. Always ensure correct verb tense and word order for clarity. For example, saying "I am "soon expecting" a package" is generally better than attempting to use "soon waiting".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "soon waiting" attempts to combine an adverb of time ("soon") with a present participle ("waiting"). However, this construction is grammatically unusual. As Ludwig AI indicates, the construction is incorrect. To express the intended meaning clearly and correctly, alternative phrasing is required.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Wiki

19%

Science

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "soon waiting" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI highlights its awkwardness. While some instances appear in news and media, its use is infrequent and not recommended. For expressing anticipation or expectation in the near future, it's best to use grammatically sound alternatives like "will "soon be" waiting" or "expecting shortly". These alternatives provide clarity and maintain grammatical correctness, enhancing the overall quality of your writing. Although sources like The New York Times occasionally contain the phrase, it's generally avoided in formal or professional contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

shortly waiting

Replaces "soon" with "shortly" maintaining the sense of immediacy but might still sound awkward to some native speakers.

waiting shortly

Swaps the order, placing "shortly" after "waiting," which improves the flow but is still not ideal.

soon to be waiting

Adds "to be" to clarify the future action, making it grammatically correct, but slightly wordy.

will soon wait

Uses auxiliary verb "will" to express future tense, implying a planned action.

expecting shortly

Replaces the entire phrase with a more concise and natural expression of anticipation.

imminently waiting

Replaces "soon" with the more formal "imminently", suggesting something is about to happen.

waiting imminently

Swaps the order, placing "imminently" after "waiting," making it more unnatural and less clear.

anticipating shortly

Replaces the entire phrase with "anticipating shortly", another concise expression of anticipation.

eagerly waiting

Emphasizes the positive emotion of anticipation.

shortly anticipating

Highlights near future expectation, could be unnatural in some contexts.

FAQs

What's wrong with saying "soon waiting"?

The phrase "soon waiting" is grammatically awkward and not commonly used. It's better to say "will soon be waiting" or use alternatives like "expecting shortly".

How can I use "soon" correctly with a verb indicating anticipation?

Use "soon" to modify the entire verb phrase. For example, "I will "soon expect" a response" or "I will "soon be waiting"" are grammatically sound.

What are some alternatives to "soon waiting" that sound more natural?

Consider using phrases like "shortly waiting" (though still slightly awkward), "expecting shortly", or "will soon be waiting" depending on the context.

Is there a difference in meaning between "soon waiting" and "will soon be waiting"?

While "soon waiting" is grammatically incorrect, "will soon be waiting" is correct and expresses a future action. The addition of "will be" clarifies the tense and makes the sentence understandable and grammatically sound.