had been allowed

USAGE SUMMARY

"had been allowed" is correct and usable in written English.
It is an example of the past perfect tense. You can use it when talking about an action that happened before another action in the past. For example: "By the time I got to the concert, the doors had been allowed."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Foreign banks had been allowed to compete.

The Economist

And yet I wish he had been allowed to speak.

University of California, Berkeley

No hunting of the bears had been allowed since 1994.

Independent

It had been allowed earlier in the day.

Independent

None had been allowed to attend their parents' funerals.

The New Yorker

Do you still wish you had been allowed to die?

The Washington Post

Occasionally, Jesse had been allowed to stay overnight with her.

The New Yorker

It had been allowed to degenerate into segregation and polarisation".

The Guardian

Women had been allowed to play at the club as guests of its 300-plus members.

The New York Times

Brown was furious that Gallas's goal, which appeared to be offside, had been allowed to stand.

Independent

It was as if a single radio drama had been allowed to run for 30 hours.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been allowed" to indicate that permission or authorization was granted at some point in the past, and that this allowance had an impact on a subsequent event or situation.

Common error

Avoid using "had been allowed" when you simply need to state that something 'is allowed' in the present. Ensure the context genuinely requires the past perfect passive voice.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been allowed" functions as a past perfect passive construction. It describes an action that was permitted or authorized at some point before another action in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

63%

Academia

18%

Formal & Business

6%

Less common in

Science

6%

Encyclopedias

1%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been allowed" is a grammatically correct and frequently used past perfect passive construction. According to Ludwig, it indicates that permission or authorization was granted before a specific point in the past. Its usage spans across various contexts, with a strong presence in news and media, academic writing, and formal communication. When using this phrase, ensure that the past perfect tense is necessary to convey the sequence of events accurately. Remember, "had been allowed" indicates that a state of permission existed prior to another event in the past.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been permitted

Indicates formal consent or authorization was granted, similar to "had been allowed" but often implies a more official or documented permission.

had been authorized

Suggests official approval or endorsement was given, highlighting the legitimacy or legality of the action.

had been granted permission

Explicitly states that permission was given, emphasizing the act of granting consent.

had been given leave

Implies a formal or official allowance, often in a professional or institutional context, such as being given leave to do something.

had been cleared

Indicates that an action or situation had been approved after a review or assessment, suggesting the removal of obstacles or concerns.

had been enabled

Focuses on providing the means or opportunity for something to happen, emphasizing the facilitation of the action.

had been sanctioned

Implies that an action received formal approval or endorsement, often by an authority or governing body.

had been tolerated

Suggests that an action was accepted or endured without active approval, highlighting a passive acceptance rather than explicit permission.

had been suffered

Similar to tolerated but often implies a more reluctantly passive approval. Suggests an action was not actively stopped but was endured.

had been left unchecked

Highlights a lack of oversight or intervention, implying that an action proceeded without any restrictions or control.

FAQs

How to use "had been allowed" in a sentence?

"Had been allowed" is used to indicate that permission or authorization was granted before a specific point in the past. For example, "The students "had been allowed" to leave early because of the storm."

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

"Was allowed" indicates permission was granted in the past, while "had been allowed" indicates permission was granted before another point in the past. "He was allowed to enter the building" vs. "He "had been allowed" to enter the building before the lockdown."

What can I say instead of "had been allowed"?

You can use alternatives like "had been permitted", "had been authorized", or "had been granted permission" depending on the context.

Is "had been allow" grammatically correct?

No, "had been allow" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is ""had been allowed"", which uses the past participle of the verb 'allow'.