working back and forth

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "working back and forth" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a process of exchanging ideas, information, or tasks between two or more parties, often implying a collaborative effort. Example: "We spent the afternoon working back and forth on the project, refining our ideas until we reached a consensus."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

They keep working, back and forth, to add the dates and events and emotions that make up Bebrezhabiher's life to a document that could determine whether he can one day live like his friend.

Princeton University

It gets hard when you are in the street with six lanes, and the traffic is coming, and the truck is pulling out with all these people working back and forth.

The New York Times

Instead, we might think of this process of working back and forth among the key shared ideas in the public, democratic culture and the articulated features of the political conception of justice as a political reflective equilibrium (Daniels 1996).

SEP

The whole process involved working back and forth through the data material, being systematic and intuitive at the same time, and letting ideas from different sources guide the analysis as recommended by Kvale and Brinkman [ 35].

BMC Public Health

Keep working back and forth until the two of you reach an agreement.

WikiHow

Do the same on the second section, working back and forth to complete your braid.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

Las Hermanas Iglesias, live on different coasts and worked back and forth on the sculpture "Chasing Their Ponytails" (2016-18), which looks like a quirky contraption for decontextualizing everyday items.

The New York Times - Arts

But it also lets users move work back and forth between the two at the click of a button, as well as automatically tether Macs to iPhones to use mobile internet on the move.

The Guardian - Tech

This is not a common practice in the industry as I observed other brands would work back and forth through emails and mailed samples with the factories.

Forbes

These phases are parts of an ongoing cycle of analytics activity, and the analytics team may work back and forth among these phases frequently.

Forbes

Instead, he insists that practice can and should be corrected as we work back and forth from tentative principles to practice, revising where appropriate, presumably eliminating the sorts of inconsistencies that some psychological studies, and our everyday experiences, reveal.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a collaborative process, use "working back and forth" to indicate iterative refinement and mutual input. This suggests a dynamic and responsive interaction between parties.

Common error

Ensure the context clearly indicates what is being worked on back and forth. Vague usage can lead to ambiguity. For example, specify "working back and forth on the design" rather than just "working back and forth."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "working back and forth" typically functions as a gerund phrase describing an activity or process. It often appears as part of a verb phrase or as a subject complement, indicating a repeated or iterative action. Ludwig AI confirms this usage, highlighting its acceptability in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

28%

Wiki

21%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Academia

7%

Encyclopedias

6%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "working back and forth" is a grammatically correct and commonly used gerund phrase. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and it is frequently used to describe iterative or collaborative processes across different contexts, including news, science, and general writing. When using this phrase, it is important to ensure clarity about the specific subject of the iterative action to avoid vagueness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

collaborating back and forth

Highlights the cooperative aspect of the iterative process.

engaging back and forth

Emphasizes active participation and interaction in the exchange.

reporting back and forth

Focuses on the act of conveying information repeatedly.

alternating repeatedly

Stresses the sequential switching between actions or states.

reciprocating continuously

Implies a mutual exchange that is ongoing and uninterrupted.

exchanging reciprocally

Highlights the mutual giving and receiving in the process.

iterating in cycles

Focuses on the cyclical nature of the repeated actions.

interchanging regularly

Emphasizes the consistent and structured nature of the exchange.

oscillating between

Suggests a movement like swinging from one point to another repeatedly.

moving to and fro

Describes a physical movement in opposite directions.

FAQs

How can I use "working back and forth" in a sentence?

You can use "working back and forth" to describe a collaborative and iterative process. For example: "The design team was "collaborating back and forth" on the user interface."

What does "working back and forth" mean?

"Working back and forth" implies a process of iterative refinement, exchange, and mutual contribution between parties or stages in a project.

What's the difference between "working back and forth" and "collaborating back and forth"?

While both imply a cooperative interaction, "working back and forth" generally focuses on the iterative exchange itself, whereas "collaborating back and forth" emphasizes the shared effort toward a common goal.

What are some alternatives to "working back and forth"?

Alternatives include "engaging back and forth", "reporting back and forth", or "iterating in cycles", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.