useful abilities

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "useful abilities" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe skills or talents that are practical and beneficial in various contexts, such as work or personal development. Example: "Having useful abilities in communication can greatly enhance your career prospects."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Barry is back, grizzled as ever, rocking up to an island to save his daughter and making his way around said island with an unknown little girl with weird (and useful) abilities to sense zombies and hidden items.

Independent

These don't just bring huge amounts of armour, they also have useful abilities like collateral damage, which lets you target a cover object and then add damage to anything behind it – very useful for when a sectoid has crawled up behind a big pile of hay bales and won't come out.

The Guardian - Tech

While natural selection could explain the appearance of immediately useful abilities, only a divine creator, he felt, could explain the existence of potential powers that might become manifest only with the development of an advanced culture hundreds of thousands of years in the future.

The New Yorker

The player uses melee and projectile weapons to defeat enemies, while a role-playing system allows the development of useful abilities.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

By using these techniques, this method adds the useful ability of automatic recovery from tracking failures.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

Especially, he adds, "when compared to learning the incredibly useful ability of being able to speak Chinese".

The Guardian

In the second, it was the telephone, with its "banshee" ring and useful ability to speed the narrative.

The New Yorker

A potentially even more useful ability would be to be able to tell which of several groups of a single predator species are the ones to worry about.

The New York Times - Science

"I compared him to George Hill, who was with the Spurs at the time, another guy from a small college who showed useful ability.

The New York Times - Sports

Such distinctive calls provide a means for bottlenose dolphins to find one another, a particularly useful ability in the animals' large, fluid social networks.

The New York Times

Mr Chernomyrdin showed a useful ability to tap the wheels of government and make them go round roughly as desired.That will not happen again.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a person's strengths, use "useful abilities" to highlight skills that directly contribute to their effectiveness in a specific role or task.

Common error

Avoid using overly general terms when describing "useful abilities". Instead, specify the exact skills that make a person or tool effective. For instance, instead of saying someone has "useful abilities in problem-solving", specify that they have "useful abilities in data analysis and critical thinking".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "useful abilities" functions as a noun phrase, where "useful" acts as an adjective modifying the noun "abilities". It generally describes the beneficial or practical skills an individual or entity possesses. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is perfectly correct and usable in written English. The phrase is used to emphasize that those abilities are important for a purpose.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Reference

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "useful abilities" is grammatically sound and serves to emphasize the practical value of specific skills. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is correct and usable in written English, suitable for describing talents that are beneficial. Its frequency is uncommon, appearing in various contexts such as news, science, and wiki articles. When writing, using the phrase can effectively highlight an individual's or entity's effectiveness in a particular area. To enhance clarity, specify the skills that contribute to this effectiveness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

helpful skills

Indicates that the skills are conducive to providing aid or assistance.

effective skills

Focuses on the skills' capacity to produce a desired result or outcome.

practical skills

Focuses on the real-world application and functionality of the skills.

functional skills

Highlights the usability and operational aspect of skills.

beneficial talents

Stresses the positive outcome or advantage resulting from possessing these talents.

valuable talents

Emphasizes the worth and importance of the innate or acquired capabilities.

competent skills

Emphasizes a person's ability to perform tasks effectively.

advantageous capabilities

Highlights the benefit or edge provided by having certain capabilities.

productive skills

Emphasizes the capacity of these skills to generate output or results.

serviceable skills

Suggests that the skills are adequate and ready for use.

FAQs

How can I use "useful abilities" in a sentence?

You can use "useful abilities" to describe skills or talents that are practical and beneficial. For example, "Having "practical skills" in communication can greatly enhance your career prospects."

What are some alternatives to "useful abilities"?

Alternatives include "valuable skills", "practical talents", or "helpful skills", depending on the context.

Is there a difference between "useful abilities" and "useful ability"?

"Useful abilities" refers to multiple skills or capabilities, while "useful ability" refers to a single skill. For example, "Teamwork is one of the most "useful ability" someone can have to succeed."

When is it appropriate to use the phrase "useful abilities"?

It is appropriate to use "useful abilities" when highlighting a range of skills that provide tangible benefits or advantages in a particular situation or field. It's particularly apt when discussing professional or academic strengths.