|
 |
|
| about the OnLine
English phrase checker |
|
The OnLine English phrase
checker assists writers of English by providing multiple, real-world examples of how any
English phrase (or word) is used.
The WWW provides the
world's largest searchable sample of English language text. Any person, anywhere on the
globe with access to the Internet, can check this huge database of English language at no
cost. The OnLine English phrase checker enables writers to check the usage of any English
phrase with one of the world's largest and fastest Internet search engines. |
|
|
| create your own link to the phrase checker |
|
| If you wish to create a link directly to the phrase checker, use the following address. http://www.oleng.com.au/indexpc.html |
|
|
| how the phrase checker works |
|
| The OnLine English phrase checker uses the alltheweb search engine(Registered
trademark of 'Fast Search and Transfer ASA'). alltheweb has indexed over 575 million web pages
(July 2001). That number is growing by millions of pages each week. The phrase checker is
configured to search the WWW and return only exact matches of your phrase.
This feature distinguishes it from most other searches,
which are configured to select pages with terms that are merely similar to the search
term(s).
When the goal of your research is to identify how
a precise phrase is used, only exact matches are relevant. The OnLine English phrase
checker is designed to do this. |
|
|
| the alltheweb search window |
|
| When working directly in the alltheweb search window (not via the phrase checker) you must select the option, the exact phrase, to obtain the exact match required for phrase checking.
The alltheweb search window can be accessed directly at http://www.alltheweb.com.
|
|
|
| what the phrase
checker provides |
|
|
Frequency of occurrence (e.g., 23,794 documents
found)
By providing a count of only exact matches, the phrase checker tells you how often a phrase is used on the WWW.
You can use this function to compare the frequencies of
several phrases. If your intention is to use standard forms of English, rather than
less common variations, you can quickly see if the phrase is used commonly, rarely or
perhaps not at all.
Examples of usage
By providing links to all the pages in the alltheweb Search
index that include this exact phrase, the phrase checker provides multiple examples of how
the phrase is used in English.
These pages will demonstrate not only the contexts in
which the phrase is used but also the sentence structure, which might precede or follow the phrase. |
|
|
| locating your
phrase within a page |
|
| Once you have downloaded a
page from your search results, the fastest way to find the phrase within that page is to
use the Find command in your browser.
If Find does
not locate the phrase it is likely to be because, the phrase occurs only in the title of the page, the page has not fully downloaded or
because of punctuation marks within the phrase.
While the phrase checker ignores punctuation marks
between words, the browser's own Find command will not find the target phrase within a
page if, for example, a comma or a hyphen has been added to the phrase.
Example: if you search the WWW for 'electron tunnelling
microscope' your results will include examples of 'electron-tunnelling microscope'. If you
then use your browser's Find command to locate 'electron tunnelling microscope' within a page, it will
not find the phrase with the hyphen.
In such cases you will need to find the phrase by typing
just one of the words into the Find window.
|
|
|
| language issues |
|
| English is spoken in countries
around the world by diverse peoples and cultures. As the pace of change accelerates and
knowledge grows exponentially, the English language grows and changes. Like all
languages, it is dynamic. Linguistics is the
study of how language is used. Those who wish to learn English and use it fluently, are likely to be
most interested in how the English language is actually used in a particular context.
If you wish to check how a particular phrase is used,
you can look at examples of how that phrase is used. The OnLine English phrase
checker is the quickest way to access multiple, real-world examples of any phrase you choose.
Judgement is required in
deciding which of these examples are of higher or lower relevance. If you obtain a large
number of examples when you are searching for a scientific term, you might need to give
priority to selected sites.
If, for example, you are writing for an international,
academic audience you might look at academic and research sites in countries where English is most often used. |
|
| |
|
