had already been driven

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had already been driven" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that an action was completed before another point in time, often in a narrative or descriptive context. Example: "By the time we arrived, the car had already been driven to the repair shop."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

The Zetas had already been driven out of this area, he said.

The New Yorker

The printers had already been driven by high costs to make arrangements with the booksellers, to their own disadvantage.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The pilings that are to support the steel structure had already been driven deep into the sandy lake bed.

The New York Times - Arts

The mole had already been driven nearly half a mile, and to reach the heading we had to ride a railroad car called a "man trip," which rattled from side to side.

The New Yorker

Housing Rights Initiative, however, said that paperwork often wasn't amended for a year or two, by which time tenants had already been driven out.

Huffington Post

It should arguably never have been built: by the time it went into blast in 1888, the price per ton of iron had already been driven below $22, a historic low, and it would almost never rise above that figure until the onset of World War I.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Several small carriers have already been driven out and further consolidation is seen as inevitable.

The New York Times

The Democrats with the greatest Washington expertise — Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson — have already been driven from the race.

The New York Times

The first two nails have already been driven into the lid of the magazine world's vision of home as Fantasy Island.

The New York Times

We've already been driven to the brink of madness with unanswerable questions such as: How can we sustain the life of a creature whose incessant, blood­curdling screams communicate nothing but blind rage and indeterminate need?

The New Yorker

Since January, sporadic fighting has displaced some 50,000 people, adding to more than 800,000 others that have already been driven from the country or internally displaced.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had already been driven" to clearly indicate that an action was completed before a specific point in the past. This helps to establish a sequence of events and clarify the timeline for your reader.

Common error

Avoid using simple past tense ("was already driven") when you need to emphasize that the action preceded another event in the past. Using the past perfect ("had already been driven") clarifies the sequence of events more effectively.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had already been driven" functions as a past perfect passive construction. It indicates that an action (being driven) was completed before a certain point in the past. Ludwig confirms that this phrase is grammatically correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Encyclopedias

20%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Science

10%

Formal & Business

10%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had already been driven" is a grammatically sound and usable phrase, as confirmed by Ludwig, functioning as a past perfect passive construction. It's used to sequence events in the past, emphasizing the completion of an action before a specific point. While its frequency is uncommon, it's suitable for various contexts, including news, encyclopedias, and general writing. The phrase is best used to clarify timelines and avoid ambiguity about the sequence of events. Remember to use the past perfect tense to show that an action preceded another in the past and avoid simply using simple past tense.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had previously been driven

Replaces "already" with "previously", emphasizing the temporal aspect of the action.

had been driven before

Reorders the phrase to place "before" at the end, slightly altering the emphasis.

had by then been driven

Adds "by then" to specify a point in the past before which the action occurred.

was already driven

Changes the tense from past perfect to simple past, affecting the timing relative to another past action.

had long been driven

Emphasizes the duration of time before the action occurred using "long".

had in the past been driven

Uses a more verbose way to indicate a past action, adding "in the past".

had been operated already

Substitutes "driven" with "operated", which is more general.

had effectively been driven

Adds "effectively" to highlight the efficiency of driving.

the driving had already occurred

Restructures the sentence to focus on the action of driving itself.

had sooner been driven

Implies the act of driving occured sooner than expected.

FAQs

How can I use "had already been driven" in a sentence?

You can use "had already been driven" to indicate that an action was completed before another point in time in the past. For example: "By the time we arrived, the car "had already been driven" to the repair shop".

What are some alternatives to "had already been driven"?

Alternatives include "had previously been driven", "had been driven before", or "was already driven" depending on the context.

Is "had already been driven" grammatically correct?

Yes, "had already been driven" is grammatically correct. It's the past perfect passive form, indicating that something was done to the subject before a specific time in the past.

What's the difference between "was already driven" and "had already been driven"?

"Was already driven" is simple past passive, while "had already been driven" is past perfect passive. The latter emphasizes that the action happened before another point in time in the past. For instance, "The car "was already driven" to the shop when I got there" versus "The car "had already been driven" to the shop by the time I arrived".