Best Practice for Searching
- In most cases, leave out stop words from your search.
- If the stop word is important, use quotes around the whole phrase.
Examples
Matrix→ math results"The Matrix"→ movie results (quotes keep the)
Why It Matters
- Stop words can change meaning and results.
- Quotes tell Google to find the exact phrase.
Quick Rules
- Default: leave out stop words.
- Use quotes: when the stop word changes meaning (e.g.,
"The Matrix"). - Writing: keep stop words in essays for natural reading.
Common Stop Words to Leave Out
the, a, an, in, on, at, with, for, of, by, and, or, but, to, from, about, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, it, this, that, these, those, there, here, then, so, such
ICGN131 DSearch 