In addition to being a wildcard symbol, the ! (exclamation point) can also be used to search for keywords that appear within a certain number of words from each other.
To use proximity searching, enter the first keyword, then an ! (exclamation point) and a number to signify how many words can appear between the keywords, and then enter the second keyword.
For example, entering !1 means that no words can come between the first and second word (in other words, the first word must come before the second word). Entering !2 means that there can be no more than two words between the first and second word.
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Example: |
Searches For: |
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John !1 Kennedy |
"John Kennedy," "John F. Kennedy," and "John Fitzgerald Kennedy" |
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Drug !2 Abuse |
"Drug abuse" and "Drug and alcohol abuse" |
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Mountain !5 Climbing |
Records where the word "climbing" appears within five words after the word "mountain" |