congratulated that

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "congratulated that" is not correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used incorrectly as "congratulated" should be followed by a person or a specific achievement, not "that." Example: "She congratulated him on his promotion."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In this regard, De La Rosa and colleagues should be congratulated that the question whether tight glycaemic control truly works in a mixed ICU population resulted in a randomised controlled study design.

Critical Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

5.17pm GMT UK Earlier, Labour MP David Winnick urged David Cameron to congratulate the Guardian for publishing revelations from Snowden: With the orchestrated campaign and witch-hunting against the Guardian newspaper, would this not be an appropriate time to congratulate that newspaper for publishing the details of how the mobile phone of the German chancellor had been monitored?

The Guardian

Tons of people came up to congratulate that day and afterwards but seemed strangely insistent on reminding me that "it is a lot easier to get in when you are a girl because they get so many fewer female applicants".

Huffington Post

For example: someone at work gets a big promotion; instead of congratulating that person, the narcissist has to turn the spotlight back onto themselves, by talking about why they should have gotten the promotion instead, or simply about something really good that happened to them.[1].

WikiHow

He should have been congratulated for that, because he has reminded everyone that the Manchester United "star" is indeed on the pitch.

The Guardian - Sport

The Court should be congratulated on that – but a new problem is emerging.

The Guardian

His work was responsible for a tremendous increase in tourism on Long Island, and he and the people who worked with him should be congratulated for that".

The New York Times

[UNICEF Executive Director] Carol Bellamy ought to be congratulated for that".

Unicef

On June 2 Juliet, Elissa, and A.S. graduated from high school, and Lambda Legal congratulated them that day on Twitter.

Huffington Post

I suppose Downing Street would emphasise that in democracy sometimes you don't win but that means that you have to congratulate those that have - and you have to work with them.

BBC

He was always congratulated for that.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "congratulated on" or "congratulated for" followed by the specific achievement or reason for congratulation. For example, "He was congratulated on his promotion" or "She was congratulated for her outstanding performance".

Common error

Avoid using "congratulated that" as it is grammatically incorrect. It's a common mistake to directly follow "congratulated" with "that" without specifying what the congratulations are for. Always include a preposition like "on" or "for" to connect the verb with the reason for congratulations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "congratulated that" functions incorrectly as a verb phrase intended to express approval or praise. Ludwig AI indicates that the construction is grammatically unsound and should be avoided. The verb "congratulate" requires a direct object (the person being congratulated) and is typically followed by "on" or "for" to specify the reason or achievement.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

20%

News & Media

48%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Formal & Business

2%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "congratulated that" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in writing and speech. As Ludwig AI confirms, the correct usage involves following "congratulated" with a preposition like "on" or "for" to specify the reason for the congratulations. While authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Guardian may contain instances of this phrase due to errors, it does not validate its correctness. Stick to established grammatical rules by saying, for instance, "congratulated on that" or "praised for that" to properly convey your intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

congratulated on achieving that

Adds "on achieving" to specify the accomplishment being recognized.

congratulated for doing that

Replaces 'that' with a more explicit 'doing that', clarifying the action being congratulated.

commended for that achievement

Substitutes "congratulated" with "commended", highlighting the specific accomplishment.

praised for that reason

Uses "praised" instead of "congratulated", emphasizing the reason for approval.

applauded for that effort

Replaces "congratulated" with "applauded", emphasizing the effort involved.

celebrated that success

Shifts focus to celebrating the success resulting from the action.

acknowledged that accomplishment

Uses "acknowledged" to highlight the recognition of the accomplishment.

recognized for that contribution

Emphasizes the contribution made, using "recognized" as the verb.

given accolades for that performance

Replaces "congratulated" with "given accolades", formalizing the recognition.

expressed admiration for that

Focuses on expressing admiration as the form of recognition.

FAQs

How should I correctly use the word "congratulated" in a sentence?

The word "congratulated" should be followed by "on" or "for", specifying the achievement or reason. For example, "I "congratulated him on his success"" or "She "congratulated her for her effort"".

What are some alternatives to saying "congratulated that"?

Since "congratulated that" is grammatically incorrect, you can use phrases like "praised for that", "commended for that", or "congratulated on that" to express a similar sentiment.

Is there a difference between "congratulated on" and "congratulated for"?

While both "congratulated on" and "congratulated for" are correct, "congratulated on" is generally used for achievements or successes, while "congratulated for" is used for efforts or actions. For instance, "congratulated him on winning" versus "congratulated her for trying".

What's the correct way to express congratulations for a specific achievement?

To correctly express congratulations, use the structure "congratulated [person] on/for [achievement/reason]". Examples include "I congratulated her on her graduation" or "He congratulated them for their victory".