1

In the following paragraph:

This plot is a stray evidence of how Pearson correlation coefficient is often incomputable and hence ineffective.

What does the expression "a stray evidence" mean?

Could you give some more examples?

Improve this question
1
  • "Evidence" is a mass noun, and doesn't take the indefinite article or number adjectives. If you want to specify just one, you say "a stray piece of evidence".
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Nov 1, 2011 at 22:24

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

A stray evidence refers to a piece of evidence that wasn't necessarily tied closely in to the subject. One of Dictionary.com's definitions of stray is:

10. found or occurring apart from others or as an isolated or casual instance; incidental or occasional.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    I'm afraid there aren't many examples for OP. Google finds 23 hits in total for a stray evidence, which net down to six distinct instances of a usage like OP's. Without the article, stray evidence scores a slightly more respectable 1000 or so. Not exactly commonplace, but enough to back me up in thinking this use of the article is a bit odd here.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 28, 2011 at 1:26
  • 2
    "Evidence" is a mass noun, and doesn't take the indefinite article or number adjectives. If you want to specify just one, you say "a stray piece of evidence".
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Nov 1, 2011 at 22:25

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .