first sent

USAGE SUMMARY

"first sent" is not a correct and usable phrase in written English.
"First sentence" is the correct phrase. For example, "I felt nervous to speak in public, but I was able to get through my first sentence."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

China first sent an astronaut into space in 2003.

The New York Times

Portinari first sent a picture to this country in 1935.

The New Yorker

Mr. Mars first sent Mr. Halter's report to Mr. Rodríguezmacedo.

The New York Times

He first sent a cavalry brigade under Brig.

The New York Times

It first sent dealers a technical bulletin about the matter in fall 2003.

The New York Times

"When the producers first sent me the script, they mentioned Miley Cyrus, Beresfordd says.

Independent

He was first sent to an interrogation prison within the walls of Saladin's 12th-century citadel.

The New York Times

So Carter first sent Crafty Sailor to Miller, and Tattler's Jet the next year.

The New York Times - Sports

He first sent for "The Call of the Wild,O by Jack London.

The New Yorker

More than 50 questions that The Economist first sent him in April 2001 remain unanswered.

The Economist

He was first sent to prison in 1987, and arrived in Pendleton in 1996.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the passive voice construction "was/were first sent" to create grammatically correct sentences. For instance, "The letter was first sent to the wrong address".

Common error

Avoid using "first sent" without completing the sentence. It often leads to unclear or grammatically incorrect statements. Always specify the subject and object of the action.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "first sent" functions as a temporal marker combined with an action, indicating the initial act of sending. However, it often requires additional context or grammatical structure to form a complete and correct sentence. As Ludwig AI suggests, the expression requires a more complete sentence structure.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

34%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Reference

2%

Academia

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "first sent" appears frequently but is often grammatically incomplete without additional context. Ludwig AI points out that "first sent" is incorrect. Correct usage typically involves completing the thought by using constructs such as ""was first sent"" or similar passive voice constructions. While prevalent in news, science, and wiki sources, its overall grammatical correctness is questionable, impacting its expert rating. For clarity and precision, ensure a complete sentence structure is used when indicating the initial act of sending something.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was initially sent

Uses passive voice and positions "initially" for a slightly different emphasis.

first dispatched

A more formal synonym for 'sent', but still conveys the same initial action.

was sent initially

Inverts the order and uses "initially" instead of "first" to emphasize the timing.

initially dispatched

Replaces "first sent" with a more formal synonym for 'sent' and 'initially' for 'first'.

had been sent first

Emphasizes that the action of sending happened before another past action.

originally mailed

Substitutes "sent" with "mailed", implying physical delivery, and "first" with "originally".

began by sending

Highlights the start of a process with the act of sending.

initially transmitted

Replaces "sent" with "transmitted", suggesting electronic delivery, and "first" with "initially".

was the first to send

Reformulates the sentence to focus on the actor who performed the sending.

first of all, sent

Separates the indication of order from the action of sending.

FAQs

How can I correctly use "first sent" in a sentence?

To use "first sent" correctly, ensure it's part of a complete sentence, often in the passive voice. For example, "The package "was first sent" to the wrong address."

What is a better alternative to "first sent"?

A grammatically correct alternative is to use the passive form ""was first sent"" or "were first sent", depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.

Is it better to say "first sent" or "initially sent"?

"Initially sent" can be used, but it still requires a complete sentence structure. The best approach is to use the passive form: "was initially sent" or "were initially sent".

What's the difference between "first sent" and "sent first"?

"Sent first" can work as a modifier, but "first sent" by itself is grammatically incomplete and usually needs to be part of a passive construction to be correct. For example, the documents were "sent first" to the legal team.