the preceding pair

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "the preceding pair" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a pair of items or concepts that were mentioned earlier in the text. Example: "In the previous section, we discussed two theories; the preceding pair provides a foundation for our current analysis."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

The initial divergence of the two sequences is roughly exponential, each pair of terms being different by an amount greater than that of the preceding pair by a roughly constant factor.

Britannica

Though the preceding pair of records was increasingly stark and devoid of pop hallmarks, Pornography was the sound of human beings bottoming out.

Vice

The hit rate is the probability of "yes" responses when the probe represented the exact intermediate color, angle, or both color and angle of the preceding pair of images; the false alarm rate is the probability of "yes" responses when the probe did not match the preceding pair.

Human Brain Mapping

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

until and have converged One canonical variate pair might not be enough to explain all the associations between the two sets of variables (X and Y), several other canonical variates can be obtained via the residual matrices; the part of the variables that is explained by the preceding pairs of canonical variates is removed from the sets.

Algorithms for Molecular Biology

In the condition with the preceding sounds, the pair of short and long tones was played 3 times, with the tones in the same order as they would eventually have when paired with the visual targets.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics

To date, there is no experimental evidence in C. elegans to directly link the residual early pachytene movement with any of these tasks, since movement is required for the preceding homologous chromosome pairing.

Chromosoma

Elizabeth Leete, daughter of the preceding witness, identified a pair of shirt-studs as belonging to her brother, and in other respects corroborated the evidence of her mother.

The New York Times

If b is nil, it will be omitted along with the preceding dot, so a pair constructed as (cons 1 nil) would be displayed as (1).

University of California, Berkeley

Therefore, any subsequent mating behaviors, except the very initial copulation, may be equally affected by the OSR as well as the preceding interactions within a pair.

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

In the preceding paragraph, I used a pair of dashes to interrupt a sentence and insert supplementary material that gave the question meaning or -- to writers, at least -- urgency.

The New York Times - Magazine

We searched for an optimal theoretical pairing, allowing each epidemic in Australia in our simulations to pair with either the preceding or following epidemic in the United States (or France) to maximize the correlation in excess death.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "the preceding pair", ensure clarity about what constitutes the 'pair' and that it has been explicitly defined earlier in the text. This avoids ambiguity for the reader.

Common error

Avoid using "the preceding pair" if the items forming the pair are not clearly identifiable or are separated by a significant amount of text. Readers may struggle to understand which items are being referenced.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "the preceding pair" functions as a determiner phrase, specifying a particular pair of items or concepts already introduced in the text. As evidenced by Ludwig, it serves to create a cohesive link between different parts of a written piece.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

67%

News & Media

22%

Encyclopedias

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "the preceding pair" is a grammatically correct phrase used to refer back to two items or concepts that have been previously mentioned. As Ludwig AI states, it's perfectly usable in written English. While relatively rare in occurrence, it finds its primary use in scientific, news, and encyclopedia contexts. To ensure clarity, it's crucial that the 'pair' being referenced is easily identifiable. Alternative phrases include "the previous couple" or "the prior duo". By following best practices and avoiding vagueness, writers can effectively use "the preceding pair" to enhance coherence and avoid unnecessary repetition.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

the immediately preceding pair

Adds emphasis to the proximity in sequence, specifying that the pair came directly before.

the directly preceding pair

Specifies that the pair comes right before without any gaps or intervening items.

the previous couple

Replaces "pair" with "couple", maintaining the sense of two items, and "preceding" with "previous", indicating an earlier occurrence.

the prior duo

Uses "duo" instead of "pair", both meaning a set of two, and "prior" instead of "preceding", both indicating something earlier.

the foregoing dyad

Substitutes "pair" with the less common "dyad", which also means a pair, and replaces "preceding" with "foregoing", indicating something that comes before.

the earlier two

Replaces "pair" with "two", specifying the quantity, and "preceding" with "earlier", denoting a point in time before the current one.

the antecedent pair

Uses "antecedent" in place of "preceding", both referring to something that exists before.

the aforementioned pair

Replaces "preceding" with "aforementioned", indicating something already mentioned.

the pair mentioned before

Rephrases the sentence structure to emphasize that the pair was spoken about earlier.

the pair just before

Simplifies the language while retaining the meaning of a pair that existed or was referenced immediately before the current subject.

FAQs

How do I use "the preceding pair" in a sentence?

Use "the preceding pair" to refer back to two items or concepts that have been specifically mentioned earlier in your text. For example, "We discussed theories A and B; the preceding pair forms the basis of our argument."

What's a good substitute for "the preceding pair"?

Depending on the context, you could use "the previous couple", "the prior duo", or "the aforementioned pair".

Is it okay to use "the preceding pair" even if the pair isn't immediately before the reference?

While grammatically correct, it's best to ensure the "preceding pair" is easily identifiable. If there's significant intervening text, consider rephrasing for clarity or explicitly restating the pair.

What's the difference between "the preceding pair" and "the following pair"?

"The preceding pair" refers to a pair that came before, while "the following pair" refers to a pair that will come after. They indicate opposite directions in a sequence or text.