underlined a potential

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'underlined a potential' is not correct and usable in written English.
To use it correctly, you would need to change it to 'underlined a potential [something]'. For example, "Businesses need to be creative in order to keep up with changing trends; this underlines a potential for growth."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The results from these analyses underlined a potential involvement of GLI1 as a transcriptional regulator important for breast cancer development as increased levels of GLI1 expression were shown in four out of five analysed samples.

BMC Cancer

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

That's an understandable business model, but it underlines a potential contradiction in how the game is positioned: Casual, younger players are the bulk of the market, but many have probably never heard of Mr. Garriott.

The New York Times

These results suggest that PDE4 inhibitors are effective in inhibiting the pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-1 secretion induced by TNF-α and might underline a potential therapeutic benefit of selective PDE4 inhibitors in lung diseases associated with abnormal tissue remodelling.

Life Sciences

These results underline a potential virus transmission from animal to animal via virus-containing droplets as it has been described in naturally occurring smallpox infection in man.

Plosone

Although the extent of similarity between HIV and human proteins is relatively limited, a variety of segments are shared between HIV and host proteins, particularly proteins involved in host immunity, underlining a potential role of HIV-1's similarity to host in the interference with effectors of the immune system.

Plosone

Interestingly, this upregulation was particularly evident among therapy responders, again underlining a potential relationship between endocrine treatment, SRCs, HER-2 and treatment response that should be further explored.

BMC Cancer

The localisation to important mitotic structures and the overlap with the localisation pattern of Ska1 (Hanisch et al, 2006) underlines a potential interaction of these proteins.

EMBO Journal

Our findings further underline a potential involvement of VEGF-A, VEGR1 and VEGFR2 in events occurring at the invasive tumour front and highlight a possible prognostic role of VEGFR1 expression in mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancers.

BMC Cancer

Another study showed that 77% of the index patients rated patient referral as a good method of PN while only 6% was negative about PN [ 28], which underlines a potential success of Internet-based PN by the index patient.

BMC Infectious Diseases

5 An important note by Hewison is that current data suggest that this particular immune response to vitamin D is restricted to primates, underlining a potential role for vitamin D in the evolution of primate immunity, but also limiting the scope of further in vivo studies to explore this activity.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

With respect to angiogenesis, it is interesting that growth factors that are thought to drive this process in the RA synovium require binding to HSPGs for their activity, underlining an important potential role for HSPGs in this mechanism.

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure that the phrase "underlined a potential" is followed by a noun that specifies what has potential, for example, "underlined a potential risk". This provides clarity and grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using "underlined a potential" without specifying what has potential. This omission makes the phrase grammatically incorrect and reduces clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a verb phrase aiming to express the act of emphasizing a possibility. However, it falls short because it needs a noun to specify what has that potential. As Ludwig AI indicates, it is grammatically incorrect in its current form.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

38%

News & Media

31%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "underlined a potential" aims to highlight or emphasize a possibility, it is grammatically incomplete and incorrect without specifying what possesses that potential. As Ludwig AI notes, the phrase needs a noun following "potential" to be grammatically sound. Although found in various contexts, including science and news, its incorrect usage affects its reliability and formality. When writing, remember to complete the phrase with a noun, such as "underlined a potential risk" or "underlined a potential benefit", to ensure clarity and grammatical correctness. More reliable alternatives include "highlighted a potential" or "emphasized a potential", followed by an appropriate noun.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

underscored a potential

Replaces "underlined" with "underscored", which is a synonym, offering a more formal tone, but maintains the same structure.

emphasized a potential

Replaces "underlined" with "emphasized", maintaining the focus on highlighting a possibility, but introduces a different verb.

highlighted a potential

Substitutes "underlined" with "highlighted", suggesting a way to draw attention to a possibility, but using a different verb choice.

stressed a potential

Uses "stressed" in place of "underlined", suggesting emphasis on the potential aspect, but uses a different verb.

indicated a potential

Uses "indicated" instead of "underlined", suggesting a subtle highlighting of a possibility, but maintains the overall meaning.

demonstrated a potential

Changes "underlined" to "demonstrated", suggesting a clearer and more convincing presentation of the potential, altering the verb.

pointed out a potential

Changes the verb to "pointed out", shifting the emphasis to directing attention to a possibility, changing the verb.

suggested a potential

Replaces "underlined" with "suggested", implying a hint or indirect highlighting of a possibility, but changing the verb.

showed a potential

Replaces "underlined" with "showed", implying a demonstration of a potential, changing the verb and nuance.

revealed a potential

Swaps "underlined" for "revealed", indicating the disclosure of a previously unknown potential, but changing the verb.

FAQs

How can I correctly use the phrase "underlined a potential" in a sentence?

To use "underlined a potential" correctly, add a noun after "potential" to clarify what possibility is being highlighted. For example, "The study "underlined a potential risk"" is grammatically sound.

What are some alternatives to "underlined a potential" that maintain a similar meaning?

You can use alternatives such as "highlighted a potential", "emphasized a potential", or "underscored a potential", ensuring you specify what has potential after the word "potential".

Is it grammatically correct to say "underlined a potential" without adding a noun after "potential"?

No, it is grammatically incorrect. The phrase "underlined a potential" requires a noun after "potential" to complete the meaning and ensure grammatical correctness. For example, "underlined a potential benefit".

What's the difference between "underlined a potential" and "highlighted a potential"?

Both phrases suggest emphasizing something that is possible. However, "underlined a potential", while conveying emphasis, is incomplete. "Highlighted a potential", is a valid alternative, only if followed by a noun, such as "highlighted a potential opportunity".