better could be expected

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "better could be expected" is not correct in standard written English.
It is an awkward construction and would typically be rephrased for clarity and grammatical accuracy. Example: "Given the circumstances, better results could be expected from the team."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

But perhaps no better could be expected from an industry that has proved singularly dim in its deviousness.

The Economist

While this can be expected of parts (but not all) of the Conservative party, better could be expected from the party that is the heir to Keynes.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

The numbers are better than could be expected.

The New York Times - Sports

The multi-word queries are typically longer than the single-word queries, and hence, better performance could be expected, as shown in the query length analysis.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

To statistically test whether professionals classified cases and controls better than could be expected by chance, we used a permutation test based on a modified version of Fisher's Lady tasting tea procedure [27].

Plosone

However, respondents did acknowledge that as specialists, better salaries could be expected.

Human Resources for Health

Kappa corrects for chance agreement, and our results simply indicate that agreement between the FOCUS and the speech language measures was better than could be expected by chance.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology

Overall agreement was better than could be expected on the basis of chance and ranged from 32%to5757% depending on agreement criteria and complexity of the diagnostic categorization analyzed.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

However, the method is far from being optimized, and by use of other macromolecules under optimal conditions even better effects could be expected.

British Journal of Cancer

Similarly, several authors claimed that better learning results could be expected in a social media environment without showing it empirically.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

In this way, most of the better iterative efficiency could be expected, which is just our purpose in improving the method.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Reframe the sentence to use a more direct and grammatically sound construction. For example, instead of saying "better could be expected", opt for "better results were anticipated" or "better outcomes were expected".

Common error

Avoid using the passive voice unnecessarily; it often leads to clunky sentence structures. Instead of "better could be expected", try active constructions for improved clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "better could be expected" functions as a passive construction expressing an expectation of improvement or superior results. As Ludwig AI explains, the construction is awkward and should be rephrased for grammatical accuracy. The examples show contexts where an improved outcome or performance is anticipated.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "better could be expected" aims to express an anticipation of improved results, Ludwig AI indicates that it is grammatically awkward and should be rephrased for clarity. More direct alternatives, such as "better results were anticipated" or "improved outcomes were expected", are recommended for clearer communication. Although the phrase appears in both scientific and news contexts, its infrequent usage and structural issues suggest that it's best to opt for more grammatically sound alternatives to avoid ambiguity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

better could have been anticipated

Changes the modal verb from 'expected' to 'anticipated', implying a stronger degree of foresight.

better results were anticipated

Rephrases to emphasize the anticipation of improved outcomes, focusing on results.

better outcomes were projected

Focuses on the projection of improved results, highlighting a forward-looking perspective.

greater improvement was foreseen

Emphasizes the act of foreseeing or predicting a more significant level of enhancement.

more favorable results were predicted

Highlights the prediction of more favorable outcomes, focusing on positivity.

an improvement was foreseeable

Shifts focus to the foreseeability of an improvement, suggesting predictability.

it was reasonable to expect better

Indicates that it was logical or justified to anticipate better outcomes.

one could reasonably expect more

Emphasizes the reasonableness of expecting a greater degree of improvement.

better performance was anticipated

Focuses specifically on the anticipation of enhanced performance levels.

higher expectations were justified

Implies that the situation warranted higher levels of anticipation or demand.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "better could be expected" to sound more natural?

Consider using alternatives like "better results were anticipated", "improved outcomes were expected", or "higher performance was projected" for a smoother and clearer expression.

What's a grammatically correct alternative to "better could be expected"?

A grammatically sound alternative is "better outcomes were anticipated". This rephrasing avoids the awkward syntax of the original phrase and provides a clearer meaning.

In what contexts is "better could be expected" most likely to appear, and how can I improve it?

While the phrase may appear in contexts where potential improvements are discussed, it's generally advised to use clearer alternatives. For example, replace it with "a better result was likely" or "one could anticipate better".

Is there a difference in meaning between "better could be expected" and "better was expected"?

Yes, the phrase "better was expected" is more direct and grammatically correct. "Better could be expected" is an awkward phrasing and should be avoided in formal writing.