be collected by a

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "be collected by a" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where something is being gathered or retrieved by a specific agent or entity. Example: "The data will be collected by a research team for further analysis."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Child support payments can be collected by a private child support collection service or an attorney.

WikiHow

My reaction times would be collected by a computer.

The Washington Post

Such details must be collected by a series of kinetic experiments and investigations.

FEBS Letters

It is not clear how be entered but the plan at one stage was for him to be collected by a diplomatic car.

The Guardian

In the modelling discussed so far, Treasury first assumes that these revenues can be collected by a fantasy tax that imposes no costs on the economy.

The Guardian - Opinion

It is assumed that the switching information can be collected by a tracker with a certain probability and transmitted from the tracker to controller precisely.

Neural Networks

Additionally, a new centrifugal purification method was also developed to gather the non-ferromagnetic Mo- and Cu-CEM nanoparticles, which cannot be collected by a strong magnetic field.

Diamond and Related Materials

At one public meeting a concerned tenant asked if the rent would be collected by a Japanese man; there were fears that tenants would be evicted.

The Economist

Tax would be collected by a single national authority and redistributed to treasuries according to a formula based on the group's assets, labour force and sales.

The Economist

The peer evaluations should be collected by a lead director, a trusted adviser, or an outsider who can provide board members with a summary of the comments and ratings of their peers.

Harvard Business Review

A red laser (Changchun New industries Optoelectronics Tech. Co. Ltd). generating 671 nm s-polarized light was used as a probe source to monitor the reconstructed holographic image which can be collected by a CMOS video camera.

Nature

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "be collected by a", ensure that the agent doing the collecting is clearly identified to avoid ambiguity. For example, "The samples will be collected by a trained technician" is more precise than "The samples will be collected".

Common error

Avoid overuse of the passive voice. While "be collected by a" is grammatically correct, consider using the active voice for more direct and concise writing. For instance, instead of "The data will be collected by a researcher", try "A researcher will collect the data".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "be collected by a" functions as a passive construction, indicating that a subject receives an action performed by an agent. It's frequently used when the object receiving the action is more important than the actor. This is demonstrated in Ludwig's examples where data, samples, or information are "be collected by a" specified entity.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

58%

News & Media

32%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "be collected by a" is a grammatically sound passive construction frequently used to emphasize the receiver of an action, rather than the actor itself. As demonstrated by Ludwig, it commonly appears in scientific, news, and formal business contexts. While perfectly acceptable, writers should be mindful of overusing the passive voice and consider active voice constructions where appropriate for more direct communication. Ludwig AI affirms the phrase's grammatical correctness and wide applicability.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be gathered by

Replaces "collected" with "gathered", implying a more general act of bringing things together.

be obtained by

Substitutes "collected" with "obtained", suggesting effort or process is required to get it.

be retrieved by

Replaces "collected" with "retrieved", implying something is restored to its original state.

be acquired by

Substitutes "collected" with "acquired", meaning something is gained or obtained.

be assembled by

Replaces "collected" with "assembled", indicating a putting together of individual elements.

be accumulated by

Substitutes "collected" with "accumulated", implying a gradual increase over time.

be harvested by

Replaces "collected" with "harvested", especially when referring to crops or natural resources.

be extracted by

Substitutes "collected" with "extracted", typically used for removing something from a source.

be compiled by

Replaces "collected" with "compiled", specifically for assembling information into a structured form.

be taken by

Replaces "collected" with "taken", indicating the action of taking something.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "be collected by a" to sound more active?

Consider using the active voice. For example, instead of "The information will be collected by a survey", try "A survey will collect the information". This makes the sentence more direct and engaging.

What are some synonyms for "be collected by a"?

Alternatives include "be gathered by", "be obtained by", or "be retrieved by", depending on the specific context and nuance you want to convey.

When is it appropriate to use "be collected by a" instead of the active voice?

The passive voice is appropriate when the action is more important than the actor, or when the actor is unknown or unimportant. For instance, "The artifacts were collected by a team of archaeologists" is suitable if the team is less significant than the collection itself.

Is "be collected by a" formal or informal?

The phrase "be collected by a" is generally considered neutral to formal. While grammatically sound, using a more active construction, when possible, often enhances clarity and conciseness in both formal and informal contexts.