1

I'm about to examine something. This something has been examined before by somebody else. How do I say in one word (or more) that I'm about to examine this something for the first time, but it is not the first time this something is examined?

Can I say: I do not trust his examination. I will reexamine this something first thing in the morning.

Improve this question
1
  • 1
    Yes, you can say that, but it is definitely not the best way to say the sentence. I would substitute other words and/or rephrase the sentence.
    – dcoreys
    Sep 8, 2012 at 19:58

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

Grammatically, yes, but to avoid the hint of an exact duplication that re-examine connotes (and you pick up on), it's simple enough to substitute:

I do not trust his findings. I will carry out an examination myself first thing in the morning.

Improve this answer
3

Verb review may serve. You might also use the circumlocution perform oversight which is (I think) jargon for “inspect the work of”. Double-check is another possibility.

Note that review is quite a broad term; but in the workplace, if you say you will review work a person has done, that typically implies you are in a supervisory role relative to that person, and will inspect their work for correctness, timeliness, etc., in more or less detail depending on circumstances. In a programming environment and in some technical environments, review often connotes code review or design review:

Code review is systematic examination (often known as peer review) of computer source code. It is intended to find and fix mistakes overlooked in the initial development phase, improving both the overall quality of software and the developers' skills. Reviews are done in various forms such as pair programming, informal walkthroughs, and formal inspections.

A design review is a milestone within a product development process whereby a design is evaluated against its requirements ... to verify the outcomes of previous activities ... The ultimate design review, if successful, ... triggers the product launch or product release.

In these contexts, review connotes careful examination, and says nothing about whether the reviewer has looked at the subject before.

As noted above, perform oversight is jargon; eg

The Department of Energy (DoE) remedial site activities are handled by three empowered work teams that perform oversight function to the DoE sites – [a Region 4 Superfund webpage]

However, the ability of the intelligence committees to perform oversight of the intelligence agencies and account for their performance is still undermined... – [a Better Government | Congressional Reform webpage]

Being in a position to perform oversight indicates that the agent (the inspector) has the power to make a decision after reviewing work, and to say whether that work is satisfactory.

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    You could say "I'll reexamine it myself", but I think "review" is the best choice here.
    – Luke_0
    Sep 8, 2012 at 19:55
  • But "will review" more implies the intent of looking over the result of an item. In the sentence given, "examine" could mean more than reviewing, such as examining a patient or observing some test/experiment and coming to a result. No?
    – dcoreys
    Sep 8, 2012 at 20:03
  • @dcoreys, I've added to my answer some explanations that may address your comment.
    – James Waldby - jwpat7
    Sep 8, 2012 at 20:27
  • I very much like the suggestion of double-check, especially if you make it clear you're not double-checking your own work, e.g.: "Ted has examined this already; I will double-check his review in the morning."
    – J.R.
    Sep 9, 2012 at 23:05
  • Thank you for your important answer. I've decided to use the form suggested by Edwin. Therefore, he's entitled for the credit. Thank again for you answer, I'm sure I'll use it some other time.
    – Different111222
    Sep 10, 2012 at 14:49
0

That's essentially what you need to write, to "reexamine" the thing that has already been examined.

Now, you can do it with slightly less ambiguity.

I do not trust his initial examination of ITEM. So, I will reexamine ITEM myself first thing in the morning.

If we include "initial" with examination, we more closely associate your reexamination with the initial examination of the first part.

Using "reexamine" in this particular sentence is not the best way to go about it, by the way.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.