- “+”
- Google ignores common words and characters such as where, the, how, I , etc. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a “+” sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the “+” sign.) Eg. Thomas +the Tank Engine will find web pages on the popular children’s character
- “-“
- If you do not want your search results to include a particular word you can exclude it by putting a “-” sign in front of it. (Again, remember to include a space before the “-” sign.) Eg. virus –computer will find pages containing the word virus but NOT the word computer
- “~”
- If you also want to search for the synonyms of your keyword, place the tilde sign (“~”) immediately in front of it. Eg. ~car insurance will also search for automobile insurance
- “OR”
- To find pages that include either of two keywords, add an uppercase OR between the words. Eg. College OR University will search for information about Colleges or Universities
- Exact Phrase
- Sometimes you’ll only want results that include an exact phrase. In this case, simply put quotation marks around your phrase. This is particularly useful when searching for names or famous sayings. Eg. “To be or not to be”
- “*”
- By adding an asterisk “*” in part of your search, Google ‘fills in the blank’ for you.
Eg. The telephone was invented by * - “..”
- Searches for results containing numbers in a given range. Just add two numbers, separated by two full stops, with no spaces, into the search box along with your keywords. Eg. Tennessee Williams plays 1945..1955
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