had been activated

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been activated" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something was activated at some point in the past and may still be in effect or relevant. Example: "The emergency alarm had been activated before the fire department arrived."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Ancylostoma ceylanicum and A. caninum infective L3s (iL3s) that had been activated in vitro generally produced erratic EPG activity under the conditions tested.

International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance

That 167 million is a fair bit lower than the 300 million Android devices that Eric Schmidt last week said had been activated overall — and does raise questions about what significance activation numbers have compared to active usage.

TechCrunch

Transcriptional activity of ETS-1 was significantly increased when ERα had been activated by estrogen.

BMC Cancer

How obvious was it that Leiter had been activated?

The New York Times - Sports

She would not say whether it had been activated as required by airline policy.

The New York Times

On March 30th, the agency's Central Cover Division requested that it be advised immediately when Morgan had been "activated".

The New Yorker

Within an hour of blastoff the probe's solar panels had been activated, and space officials declared the launching a success.

The New York Times

But he could not explain why the equipment had been activated.

The New York Times

When he heard that Gronkowski had been activated, Allen told himself, "get your feet ready".

The New York Times - Sports

Another spokesman said their emergency lights had been activated, but he did not know if their siren was on.

The New York Times

As of this week, the program had been activated in 1,049 local law enforcement agencies in 39 states.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been activated" to describe past actions that have a continuing relevance or impact on the present situation.

Common error

Avoid overuse of passive voice with "had been activated". Sometimes, specifying the actor that performed the activation can make the sentence more direct and engaging. Instead of "The alarm had been activated", consider "The intruder activated the alarm".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been activated" functions as a past perfect passive construction. It describes an action that was completed at some point in the past, prior to another point in the past or a specific event. As shown by Ludwig, the phrase indicates a prior state or condition resulting from the activation.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

34%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Formal & Business

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been activated" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase that serves to describe a past action of initiating or enabling something. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it functions as a past perfect passive construction, often appearing in neutral contexts such as news reports and scientific articles. Common uses include describing security systems, devices, and processes that were made operative before another event occurred. While the phrase is versatile, it's crucial to ensure clarity by specifying the actor and impact of the activation. Alternatives like ""had been initiated"" or ""had been triggered"" can offer subtle variations in meaning, as demonstrated by the examples from Ludwig.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been initiated

Focuses on the commencement or start of something, similar to activation.

had been triggered

Implies a cause-and-effect relationship, where something set off the action.

had been set in motion

Emphasizes the start of a process or series of events.

had been enabled

Suggests something was made capable or ready for use.

had been implemented

Focuses on the execution or carrying out of a plan or system.

had been started

A simpler, more direct way to express the beginning of an action.

had been turned on

Specifically refers to powering on a device or system.

had been commenced

A more formal way of saying "had been started".

had been brought online

Suggests a system or resource was made accessible or operational.

had been unlocked

Implies something previously inaccessible became available.

FAQs

How can I use "had been activated" in a sentence?

The phrase "had been activated" is used to describe an action that was completed in the past and has relevance to the present situation. For example, "The security system "had been activated" before the break-in occurred".

What are some alternatives to "had been activated"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives such as "had been initiated", "had been triggered", or "had been enabled".

Is it better to say "was activated" or "had been activated"?

Use "was activated" for simple past actions. Use "had been activated" when discussing a past action completed before another point in the past or when emphasizing the state resulting from that action. For instance, "The system "was activated"" versus "The system "had been activated" before the emergency occurred".

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

"Was activated" describes a single event in the past, whereas "had been activated" describes an event completed before another event in the past. "The device "was activated" this morning" implies a single action. "The device "had been activated" before the technician arrived" indicates the action occurred before the technician's arrival.