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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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sought for information

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sought for information" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression would be "sought information" or "sought after information." Example: "The researchers sought information on the effects of climate change on local wildlife."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Pending a news conference today, Detective Todd McClendon, a spokesman for the Newark police, would say only that no one had been arrested and that a number of people were being questioned and sought for information about the weekend discoveries at 188 Parker Street in Branch Brook Park, a working-class neighborhood in north Newark.

News & Media

The New York Times

The study sought for information prior to ANC attendance.

This author joined Borzekowski et al.[ 25] to list 22 specific and reproductive health related topics, (20 topics in all), and asked the youths to select the ones on which they have ever sought for information.

Of all those who have ever used the Internet, 2.12% have sought for information from the Internet in the last one month, 45.12% have used the Internet 1 5 days in the last one month.

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

The processes are informal ones; seeking for information, the choice and implementation of the strategy does not follow a pre-defined script.

Mr. Edmunds is the second man the authorities have said they were seeking for information.

News & Media

The New York Times

Seeking for information is however not easy.

People are connected to multiple SNSs for networking, communicating, collaborating, sharing and seeking for information.

In fact, when formulating requests on Q&A sites, we are not simply seeking for information.

Also, students display confirmation bias the tendency to seek for information confirming hypotheses or construct experiments that are not intended to test a hypothesis.

In today's information society, computer users frequently need to seek for information on home pages as well as to select among software functions.

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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to the act of acquiring data, prefer using "sought information" or "searched for information". The construction without the extra preposition is more direct.

Common error

Many writers incorrectly include "for" after "sought" when "sought" already implies a search or request. Avoid this by simply using "sought information".

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

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

82%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sought for information" functions as a verb phrase where "sought" is the past tense of "seek", and "for information" specifies the target of the action. Ludwig AI indicates that the phrase is not standard English and suggests using "sought information" instead.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "sought for information" appears in various sources, Ludwig AI deems it grammatically incorrect. The correct and more common alternative is "sought information", or "searched for information". Although examples can be found in both scientific and news media contexts, it's best practice to avoid the "for" after "sought" to maintain grammatical correctness. Remember, using "sought information" provides a more direct and standard way to express the action of looking for specific data.

FAQs

How can I use "sought information" in a sentence?

Instead of saying "sought for information", use the grammatically correct form "sought information". For example: "The researchers "sought information" regarding the new virus strain".

What is a more common way to say "sought for information"?

A more common and grammatically sound alternative is "searched for information". Other options include "requested information" or "looked for information".

Is it correct to say "sought for"?

While "sought" can be followed by "after" or "out" in certain contexts, it's generally incorrect to use "for" directly after "sought" when referring to information. Prefer ""sought information"".

What's the difference between "sought information" and "searched for information"?

Both phrases are used to describe the action of looking for data. "Sought information" is more formal, while "searched for information" is more commonly used in everyday language.

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Source & Trust

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Authority and reliability

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Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: