had been evacuated

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been evacuated" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe a situation where people or things were removed from a place for safety reasons in the past. Example: "Due to the approaching storm, the residents had been evacuated from the coastal areas."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The hematoma had been evacuated.

The New York Times

Some 250 people had been evacuated.

The New York Times

The Capitol had been evacuated.

The New York Times

The building had been evacuated hours earlier.

The New York Times

The town had been evacuated previously, he said.

The New York Times

They made sure that A.I.G. clients had been evacuated.

The New Yorker

By eight-thirty, thighigh school had been evacuated.

The New Yorker

But the students had been evacuated early, which Cindy praised.

The Washington Post

More than 30,000 people had been evacuated.

The Washington Post

Some residents had been evacuated from the archipelago.

The Guardian

Everyone had been evacuated and cordons had been put up.

The Telegraph

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been evacuated" to clearly indicate that an evacuation occurred before a specific point in time, providing a sense of completion or prior action. This is particularly useful when describing a sequence of events.

Common error

Avoid using the simple past passive voice ("were evacuated") when you need to emphasize that the evacuation was completed before another event occurred. "Had been evacuated" provides a clearer timeline.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been evacuated" functions as a passive past perfect construction, indicating that the action of evacuating occurred and was completed before a specific point in the past. Ludwig confirms this structure is grammatically sound and widely accepted.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Science

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had been evacuated" is a grammatically sound and widely used construction, as confirmed by Ludwig. It functions as a passive past perfect, indicating that an evacuation occurred and was completed before a specific point in the past. While suitable for both formal and informal contexts, it’s particularly useful in news and media reporting, as well as general explanations of past events. When writing, remember that this phrase provides a clear timeline and should be preferred over the simple past passive tense when emphasis on the prior completion of the evacuation is needed. Also, keep in mind alternatives such as "were relocated" and "were removed" which can be used depending on the specific context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

were evacuated

Uses a simple past passive voice instead of the past perfect passive.

had been moved to safety

Emphasizes the purpose of the evacuation as ensuring safety.

had been removed

Focuses on the action of removing people from a place.

were taken to safety

Similar to the above, but using the simple past tense.

had been relocated

Emphasizes the act of moving people to a new location.

the residents were moved

Simple past passive voice focuses on the residents and their movement.

were cleared out

More informal, suggesting a complete emptying of a place.

had been displaced

Highlights the forced movement of people from their homes.

had been transferred

Focuses on a more organized movement of people or items.

the area was cleared

Focuses on clearing the area rather than evacuating people.

FAQs

What does "had been evacuated" mean?

The phrase "had been evacuated" means that people or things were removed from a place for safety reasons at some point in the past before another event occurred. It uses the past perfect passive tense.

When should I use "had been evacuated" instead of "were evacuated"?

Use "had been evacuated" when you want to emphasize that the evacuation was completed before another event in the past. If the timing isn't important, "were evacuated" is sufficient.

What are some alternatives to "had been evacuated"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives such as "were relocated", "were removed", or "were moved to safety".

Is "had been evacuated" formal or informal?

The phrase "had been evacuated" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its usage depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and sentence structure than on the phrase itself.