to only align

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "to only align" is not correct in standard written English.
It is often misused when the intention is to express that something should be aligned exclusively or solely, but the placement of "only" can lead to ambiguity. Example: "We aim to align our goals to only meet the client's expectations."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Quality filtered sequences from all offspring and the two parents were aligned to this reference, with Bowtie set to only align reads which matched the reference perfectly.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Smart leaders exercise self-management to not only align the differences between the above (perception and reception) above but also manage their impulses.

Forbes

Four clusters (clusters 9, 10, 15, 16) correspond to peptides that only align to one end of known RNA polymerases and appear to be most closely related to eukaryotic RNA polymerases.

Plosone

Each outlier amino acid sequence was separately aligned to only the aligned orthologous sequences of the reference species, using the "--add" option in MAFFT L-INS-i.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

This means that the output was configured to write only aligned query- reference pairs into a file in key-value format, where the I/O cost for outputting the results was not considered.

BMC Medical Genomics

A valid overlap alignment is an ordered set of matches M1, M2,…, M w that allows experimental maps and in silico maps to only partially align with each other, with M1 and M w each corresponding to an end of one of the maps (for example, Fig. 1 e).

GigaScience

When we examine these hits in greater detail, we find that many of them only align to short conserved domains, are hypothetical proteins of unknown function from model organisms, or are genes which are conserved across broad taxonomic levels, such as cytochrome P450, alpha-tubulin and dynein proteins.

BMC Genomics

To date only 5 other 18S rDNA sequences of pentastomids are available, and the sequence of P. crotali is incomplete, limiting the basis for cluster analysis to only 1,560 aligned sites.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Limiting read alignment to affected regions of the assembly Since only a small portion of the assembly is affected in each step, we can keep most alignments from the previous iterations and only align reads to the regions that changed.

Algorithms for Molecular Biology

Rather, each new ontology must be fully aligned to only one already aligned ontology, then the missing homologies must be informed.

Bioinformatics

In brief, a five base nucleotide sequence from the BES was used to access the array of sequences, allowing the program to attempt to align only those sequences that shared the first five base pairs of each 15 bp fragment.

BMC Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When intending to convey exclusive alignment, replace "to only align" with phrases like "to align solely" or "to align exclusively" for improved clarity.

Common error

Avoid placing "only" between "to" and "align" as this can create ambiguity. Instead, restructure the sentence to place "only" before the element being aligned.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to only align" functions as a purpose connector, indicating the intended scope or limitation of the alignment. The Ludwig AI suggests it's not a correct usage, suggesting it may be better to use different words or change the structure.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "to only align" aims to express a limited or exclusive alignment but is often considered grammatically awkward. As the Ludwig AI points out, the placement of "only" can lead to ambiguity. With limited examples, it's rarely used and is suggested to be improved by rewriting the phrase by using alternatives such as "to align exclusively" or "to align solely" for enhanced clarity and precision. While it appears in science and news media contexts, it's best to use alternative phrasing for better clarity and grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

to align exclusively

Emphasizes aligning with something and nothing else.

to align solely

Focuses on aligning with one thing alone.

to align just

Implies aligning to a limited extent or with a specific element.

to align exclusively with

This emphasizes that the action is restricted to a single entity.

to align merely

Suggests alignment is happening for a single reason.

to align specifically

Highlights a precise alignment with a particular target.

to align purely

Indicates that the alignment is entirely for one thing.

to precisely align with

Focuses on accurate alignment with a specific target.

to align in order

Expresses an intention or purpose behind aligning.

to align for the purpose of

Clearly states the objective of the alignment.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "to only align" that sound more natural?

Consider alternatives like "to align exclusively", "to align solely", or "to align just" depending on the intended meaning.

How can I avoid misusing "to only align" in my writing?

Ensure that the placement of "only" clearly indicates what is being limited or restricted in the alignment. Rephrasing to use alternatives might improve clarity.

Is "to only align" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "to only align" is often considered grammatically awkward. It's preferable to use clearer alternatives like "to exclusively align" or "to align solely with".

What does "to only align" typically mean?

The phrase aims to express that something should be aligned exclusively or solely, but its structure can cause confusion. It's better to rephrase for better clarity.