Your English writing platform
Discover LudwigThe phrase "a thing that was" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to something that existed in the past but no longer does, often in a reflective or nostalgic context.
Example: "In the museum, I saw a relic from a thing that was, reminding me of a time long gone."
Alternatives: "something that existed" or "an entity from the past".
Exact(23)
If ever there were a time for such a thing, that was it.
"In looking back, I don't remember a thing that was written or said about it," Polian said of James Dungy's death.
To enjoy oneself without publicly checking one's privilege is some fuzzy betrayal of a thing that was hitherto never quite spoken out loud.
When what I had to say was made: made into a thing that was whole, undeniable, a thing in the world.
Lavant explains that "at first, Leos had written the role for Juliette Binoche as a recollection of 'The Lovers,' … as a thing that was carried by the past we had had together".
But really it is about a thing — a thing that was at the heart of breakthrough physics experiments that led to the crash program for the atom bomb in World War II.
Similar(36)
It's a thing that's going to be there".
It's not a thing that's ever bothered me.
Is this a thing that's about to happen?
Think of a thing that's a thing in rugby and England have done it poorly.
A joke is a thing that is meant to make life tolerable.
Write better and faster with AI suggestions while staying true to your unique style.
Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com