taps upon

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "taps upon" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a gentle or light action of tapping on a surface or object, often implying a rhythmic or repeated action. Example: "She taps upon the table to get everyone's attention during the meeting."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Literature

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The final passage, however, is also a flawless rendering of the real-life miracle of snowfall, a few light taps upon the window ushering in a flurry of some of the most beautiful prose ever printed.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

A week ago, nervous and furtive at a university interview, I was tapped upon the shoulder by a woman.

The Guardian

In a beautiful sequence the cast tap upon those planks with rhythms that build into a fine piece of percussive music.

The Guardian

Since we have used MAXQDA to analyze the responses, posing open-ended questions in the interview could help us to tap upon the deep perspectives of our respondents.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

As it was stated earlier our objection of including broad questions was to tap upon the depth of ELT students' understanding of the self-assessment and peer-assessment issues.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

Ary et al. (2014) believe that when researchers are probing to tap upon the deep-understandings of participants to find out about unpredictable possible responses they can use open-ended questions.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

Another ELT teacher tapped upon the importance of using the research results in general and doing action research in particular: Although the challenges are not easy to be removed, I think one way is the research resort.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

These abnormalities involve much molecular alterations, which could also be tapped upon for diagnosis, most importantly during routine endoscopic inspection (Lauwers and Riddell, 1999).

British Journal of Cancer

Instead, the transceiver grabs the receipt data from the PC when a receipt is printed and sends it over a secure connection to the customer's phone (upon tapping) as a digital image.

TechCrunch

But it is clear that there will be no music here today no music except for the sound of a drum, Death's drum, with a slow, steady rhythm being tapped out upon it, tapped out upon it with Roger Federer's skinny little tennis legs.

The New Yorker

How were we to know that just over an hour later Wayne Rooney would be sent off for tap-dancing upon a Portuguese player's 'not-so-private-any-more parts' and England would be down to 10 men, three of whom had completely forgotten how useful feet could be while shooting penalties.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "taps upon" to describe a gentle, rhythmic, or light contact, often implying a soft sound or a delicate action. Ensure the context aligns with this nuance.

Common error

Avoid using "taps upon" in highly formal or technical writing where more precise or direct language might be preferred. Consider alternatives like "knocks on" or "makes contact with" depending on the specific meaning you wish to convey.

Linguistic Context

Grammatically, "taps upon" functions as a phrasal verb, where "taps" is the verb and "upon" is the preposition. Ludwig shows it typically describes a gentle or rhythmic action of making contact with a surface. Ludwig AI confirms that it is usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Literature

20%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrasal verb "taps upon" describes a gentle, often rhythmic, action of making contact. According to Ludwig, it is considered grammatically correct and usable in written English. While it appears less frequently than some alternatives, it is suitable for a range of contexts, but avoid it in formal writing. Replace with knocks on when greater emphasis is needed or touches gently in soft context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

knocks on

Focuses on the act of striking a surface, similar to tapping, but often with a more assertive intent.

raps on

Similar to "knocks on", suggesting a quick, light striking action.

strikes lightly

Emphasizes the gentle nature of the impact.

presses lightly on

Highlights the application of a small amount of force

touches gently

Highlights the softness of the contact, potentially lacking the rhythmic aspect of tapping.

beats gently against

Suggests a rhythmic or repeated gentle impact.

impinges upon

More formal and abstract, suggesting an influence or effect rather than a physical touch.

makes contact with

Neutral phrase indicating interaction but without implying any tapping motion or sound.

touches on

Means briefly mention or deal with a subject.

bears upon

Implies relevance or influence on something, rather than physical contact.

FAQs

What does "taps upon" mean?

"Taps upon" means to gently hit or strike something repeatedly, often creating a soft sound or rhythmic pattern. It can also imply a gentle influence or effect.

What can I say instead of "taps upon"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "knocks on", "raps on", or "touches gently".

Is "taps upon" formal or informal?

"Taps upon" is generally considered neutral in tone, suitable for both informal and some formal contexts. However, in highly technical or formal writing, more precise language might be preferred.

How can I use "taps upon" in a sentence?

You can use "taps upon" to describe a light striking action, like "The rain "taps upon" the window pane." Or metaphorically, like "The idea "taps upon" his consciousness."