could not be progressed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "could not be progressed" is not commonly used in written English and may sound awkward.
It can be used in contexts where you want to express that something could not be advanced or developed further. Example: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the project could not be progressed as planned."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

It said Hawkins's application could not be progressed because the original ID was missing.

The Guardian

The union's Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: "We are very disappointed matters could not be progressed particularly as we presented a number of proposals in a bid to resolve this dispute and we were prepared to work throughout the night if need be.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

After the breakthrough on the nuclear issue, could there not be progress with Iran – whose military backing, along with Russia's, has helped sustain Assad in power, and maintained his killing machine, for so long?

The Guardian - Opinion

At the median follow-up time of 40.7 months, 92 patients had progressed, two could not be assessed for progression (one commenced non-protocol treatment before progression and one withdrew consent for further CT scans), whereas four patients in the wTCF arm and one patient in the wTX arm had not progressed.

British Journal of Cancer

In addition, our secondary analysis was limited to available data, questions differed between women and men and could not be modified as research progressed and FGDs only included men.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

But later Germany's Angela Merkel said all the EU members there, including Mr Conte, had agreed that Russia could not be readmitted unless there was "progress" on Ukraine.

BBC

The latter, represented by islet transplantation in the clinical arena, has led to the realization that lasting insulin independence could not be achieved (1), but progress was made by gaining insight into β-cell development (2– 4) and immunomodulation.

Diabetes Care

The results for patients without retinopathy suggested an intermediate level between controls and patients with retinopathy, indicating that the retinal damage was progressing, but differences could not be resolved using conventional ophthalmoscopy.

BMC Ophthalmology

The government said it remained "fully committed to delivering sustainable progress, through stable and meaningful democratic development" but it warned that progress could not be impeded by "groupings seeking to reject all attempts at political advance in favour of narrow, short-term interests".

The Guardian

These studies showed that high expression of pro-inflammatory factors in the lungs of mice with rapidly progressing TB could not be attributed to a higher number of macrophages and only in part (in some moderately wasting mice) could be attributed to the accumulation of neutrophils in the lungs.

Plosone

Patients were deemed to have progressed if their progression status could not be determined.

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "could not be progressed", ensure the context clearly explains why progress was halted. Providing specific reasons enhances clarity and avoids ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "could not be progressed" excessively in formal writing. While grammatically sound, alternatives like "could not be advanced" or "was unable to proceed" might offer a more polished and professional tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "could not be progressed" functions as a passive construction expressing the inability of something to advance or develop. As noted by Ludwig, while grammatical, it may sound awkward, suggesting that more direct or active constructions might be preferable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "could not be progressed" is a grammatically correct passive construction that indicates an inability to advance or develop. Ludwig suggests that the expression sounds a bit unnatural in English. While acceptable, it is relatively rare, primarily appearing in news and media, science, and formal business contexts. For enhanced clarity and impact, consider alternatives like "could not be advanced" or "was unable to proceed". When using "could not be progressed", provide specific reasons for the lack of progress to avoid ambiguity and ensure effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

could not be advanced

Replaces "progressed" with "advanced", offering a slightly more formal tone.

could not be continued

Substitutes "progressed" with "continued", emphasizing the cessation of an activity.

could not move forward

Uses a more dynamic "move forward" instead of "progressed", suggesting a lack of forward momentum.

was unable to proceed

Employs "unable to proceed" to highlight the incapacity to continue.

could not be taken further

Replaces "progressed" with "taken further", indicating that no further steps could be made.

further progress was impossible

Uses a more emphatic tone to express the impossibility of further advancement.

the process stalled

Focuses on the process coming to a halt, rather than an inability to progress.

hit a standstill

Highlights that a standstill situation was reached.

failed to advance

Focuses on the failure to achieve progress.

the matter was dropped

Indicates that the issue was abandoned, preventing further progress.

FAQs

What does "could not be progressed" mean?

The phrase "could not be progressed" means that something was unable to advance, develop, or move forward. It indicates a standstill or cessation of progress.

What can I say instead of "could not be progressed"?

You can use alternatives like "could not be advanced", "was unable to proceed", or "could not move forward" depending on the context.

Is "could not be progressed" grammatically correct?

Yes, "could not be progressed" is grammatically correct. It uses the passive voice to indicate that something was unable to be moved forward.

In what situations is it appropriate to use "could not be progressed"?

It's appropriate to use "could not be progressed" when you want to indicate that an action, plan, or process was halted or unable to advance further, often due to specific obstacles or reasons.