as we were conscious

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "as we were conscious" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate awareness or mindfulness during a particular situation or event. Example: "As we were conscious of the time, we decided to wrap up the meeting early."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"We always felt he could go seven furlongs or a mile at the height of his powers, but we played it safe as we were conscious he was going to go to stud and we didn't want to experiment with him," O'Brien said.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

"As soon as we're conscious that our age is different," says Padel, "then we look to the Greeks.

Independent

In a buy note Kate Calvert at Investec said: [We have raised our] 2015 pretax profit forecast...by 3% to £83.5m – This is not as great an increase as the first half beat as we are conscious that the sports fascia is up against very tough second half comparables and Christmas is a very important trading period.

The Guardian - Business

That shouldn't scare us, though, as long as we're conscious and use the tools to control what we expose.

TechCrunch

Pancakes are great, but some of us want to eat garlic, chile and vinegar as soon as we are conscious.

Huffington Post

As long as we are conscious of this truth, while not being speechless and indifferent to the monstrousness and horror of the destruction of our civilizational past, we have a chance to save the idea of humanity from the incalculable evil that human beings are capable of bringing about.

Huffington Post

As a research team we were conscious of our professional backgrounds (midwifery and general practice), our experience in clinical practice in the NHS, our connections with the third sector and our role conducting infant feeding research.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

"We merged partly because we could see what was coming", says Sayce. "We were conscious that as three not large, national organisations led by disabled people we would be stronger together both in terms of sustainability and impact.

The Guardian

We do have some willingness to speak of conscious states of mind as states we are conscious or aware of being in.

SEP

However, Rosebud is so cleverly worked into the structure that, like the entrance that Hecht and MacArthur prepared for Walter Burns, it is enjoyable as beautiful tomfoolery even while we are conscious of it as "commercial" mechanics.

The New Yorker

We want to win Premier League and have a desire to do it but we are conscious as well that there are many good teams in the league.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "as we were conscious" to clearly indicate that a particular awareness or understanding influenced a past decision or action. It adds context and emphasizes the rationale behind choices made at that time.

Common error

Avoid using "as we were conscious" when referring to present or future awareness. It specifically denotes a past state of mindfulness influencing past actions. For current awareness, use phrases like "as we are conscious" or "being mindful".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "as we were conscious" functions as an adverbial clause, modifying a main clause by providing context about the awareness or mindfulness present at a particular time in the past. It typically introduces a reason or condition that influenced a past action or decision, as exemplified by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

16%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

8%

Reference

5%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "as we were conscious" is a phrase used to indicate that a past action or decision was influenced by a specific awareness or understanding at that time. According to Ludwig, it functions as an adverbial clause, providing context or rationale. While grammatically correct, it's relatively rare in usage and leans towards a neutral to formal register. Consider alternatives like "given our understanding at the time" for a more formal tone or "being mindful at that time" for a simpler structure. Be mindful of the temporal context and avoid using it for present awareness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

at that time, aware as we were

Inverts the structure and adds emphasis to the awareness.

being cognizant at that point

Uses "cognizant" to express awareness and specifies the time.

with the consciousness we possessed then

Emphasizes the specific state of consciousness they had at the time.

being mindful at that time

Changes the structure to a participial phrase emphasizing the state of being mindful.

being aware of the situation then

Simple rephrasing highlighting situation awareness

with our then-current awareness

Emphasizes the level of awareness present at that particular point in time.

knowing what we knew then

Focuses on the knowledge possessed at the time, implying awareness.

given our understanding at the time

Highlights the understanding that influenced decisions or actions.

in light of our awareness then

Expresses that a decision or action was influenced by their knowledge at that time.

considering our knowledge at the time

Highlights the considerations made based on the information they had.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "as we were conscious" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, consider alternatives like "given our understanding at the time" or "in light of our then-current awareness". These options provide a similar meaning with a more elevated vocabulary.

Is it correct to say "as we are conscious" instead of "as we were conscious"?

Yes, "as we are conscious" is grammatically correct, but it refers to a present awareness. Use "as we were conscious" when discussing past awareness influencing past actions, and "as we are conscious" when referring to current awareness influencing current actions.

What is the difference between "as we were conscious" and "as we were aware"?

The phrases are very similar. "as we were aware" is a direct synonym and can be used interchangeably with "as we were conscious" in most contexts. The choice often depends on stylistic preference.

Can "as we were conscious" be used to describe a general state of being?

No, "as we were conscious" is best used to connect a past state of awareness with a specific action or decision made at that time. It's not suitable for describing a general or ongoing state of being.