virtually every child

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "virtually every child" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that almost all children are included in a statement or observation, with a slight allowance for exceptions. Example: "Virtually every child in the school participated in the annual science fair."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

18 human-written examples

The only way to eradicate polio is to ensure that immunisation coverage reaches virtually every child and stays high.

The Guardian

Around the world, virtually every child born in a hospital had an Apgar score recorded at one minute after birth and at five minutes after birth.

The New Yorker

The personal details of virtually every child in the UK has been lost by HM Revenue and Customs, the chancellor, Alistair Darling, admitted today.

The Guardian

Virtually every child who lost a parent in the terrorist attacks is entitled to Social Security benefits every single month until his or her late teens.

The New York Times

This nation can afford to give clean places and green spaces and, as one student put it in a letter to me, "fun places to play" to virtually every child in our public schools.

University of California, Berkeley

Separate from the phone calls the federal health officials made for several years to determine which children were lacking vaccinations, Newark has enlisted Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Eliza Corp. of Boston to contact the parents of virtually every child in the city and alert them that they need shots, right when they are due.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

42 human-written examples

Like virtually every bookish child in the Western world, I inherited certain lessons from Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The New Yorker

So linguistic competence remains an exceptional element in our cognitive make-up.[16] And even though some of the distinctive features of language acquisition have counterparts in other domains sensitive and critical periods in the development of visual perception, for example there does seem to be something exceptional about the way virtually every normal child comes to master a language.

SEP

Israel's national commemoration of the individual and collective hardship endured 70 years and more ago has been extensive; educational programs bring history to virtually every Jewish child from a young age.

Los Angeles Times

While Congress's current bill plans to cover about four million of these children, using information that the government already collects on tax forms such as the EITC or W-4 could provide an easy, electronic way to identify and to insure virtually every eligible child.

Huffington Post

Rooks also details the use of virtual education, especially in urban areas, as the preferred method of educating poor children despite the approach's failures; for example, between 2011 and 2014 in Philadelphia, every virtually educated child failed every state test.

Cornell University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "virtually every child", ensure that the context allows for a small margin of exception. It is not a synonym for "absolutely every child".

Common error

Avoid using "virtually every child" when the statement applies only to a specific group or a clear minority of children. This phrase implies near-universal applicability.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "virtually every child" functions as a determiner phrase modifying a noun. It serves to quantify and emphasize that the statement being made applies to nearly all children. Ludwig examples show it used in various contexts from healthcare to education.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

30%

Science

20%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Unknown/Unmatched

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "virtually every child" is a common and grammatically sound expression used to indicate that something applies to almost all children. As verified by Ludwig AI, the phrase appears frequently in contexts related to news, formal business, and scientific discussions. While highly similar to phrases like "almost every child" or "nearly every child", it is important to use it accurately, ensuring the context allows for a small margin of exception, and the phrase actually expresses near-universality. Due to its appearance across various source types it presents a neutral register which makes it versatile.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

almost every child

Replaces "virtually" with "almost", providing a slightly less formal tone.

nearly every child

Uses "nearly" instead of "virtually", offering a similar level of certainty.

practically every child

Substitutes "virtually" with "practically", implying a high degree of inclusiveness.

just about every child

Replaces "virtually" with "just about", making the phrase slightly more informal.

almost all children

Uses "almost all" instead of "virtually every", changing the structure slightly.

nearly all children

Replaces "virtually every" with "nearly all", providing a slightly more formal tone.

virtually all children

Changes "every child" to "all children", keeping the essence of the original.

the vast majority of children

Replaces the original phrase with a more descriptive alternative, indicating a large proportion.

a majority of children

Less emphatic than the original, indicating that most, but not necessarily almost all, children are included.

most children

The most general alternative, signifying that more than half of the children are being referred to.

FAQs

What does "virtually every child" mean?

The phrase "virtually every child" means almost all children, with a small number possibly excluded. It indicates a very high prevalence or near-universal inclusion.

What can I say instead of "virtually every child"?

You can use alternatives like "almost every child", "nearly every child", or "practically every child" depending on the specific context.

Is it more accurate to say "virtually every child" or "almost every child"?

Both "virtually every child" and "almost every child" are generally interchangeable. The choice depends on the desired tone and style, with "virtually" sounding slightly more formal.

When should I avoid using the phrase "virtually every child"?

Avoid using "virtually every child" when the statement applies only to a specific subgroup or a minority of children. Ensure that the context genuinely reflects a near-universal condition before using this phrase.