had been foster

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been foster" is not correct in English as it is incomplete and lacks context.
It could be used in a sentence that discusses a past situation involving fostering, but it needs additional information to be grammatically correct. Example: "She had been fostered by a loving family during her childhood."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Mr. Neesmith, a former school bus driver, and his late wife had been foster parents to dozens of children.

The New York Times

But when he found Charles and Gail Garner, who for one year had been foster parents to Jeremy and his sister, Hill began to think he had a chance of persuading the jury that "there's something here worth saving".

The New York Times - Magazine

As ABC is reporting, Wendy Alfredsen and her ex-partner, Lena Alfredsen, adopted two biological sisters, whom they had been foster parenting for two years, in 2006.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

His interest in making dances had been fostered at the school from the start.

The New York Times - Arts

I was incredibly impressed with the community that had been fostered from the management down.

Cornell University

My friend stuck with geriatrics, but realized that she had been fostering an idealized notion of the elderly.

The New Yorker

She told me that her interest had been fostered by her experience in her twenties of the Polish community in Fife.

Independent

Vicky had been fostered with her family for a couple of years.

BBC

The duchess, who is six months pregnant, spoke to carers and some young adults who had been fostered.

BBC

We met the kittens, we got along well with them, and the woman who had been fostering the kittens brought them to our home.

Vice

Bryant, who has been Foster's No. 1 assistant for nine years, already is monitoring Horford's progress in the classroom.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Complete the phrase "had been foster" with a noun or adjective that clarifies what was being fostered, for example, "had been foster parents" or "had been a foster child".

Common error

Avoid using "had been foster" without specifying what role or state is being described. This incomplete usage can lead to confusion and grammatical errors.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been foster" functions as an incomplete predicate. To make it grammatically sound, it typically requires a noun or adjective complement that clarifies the specific role or state related to fostering. Ludwig AI points out the incompleteness, further highlighting the need for a complement.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had been foster" is grammatically incomplete and requires additional context to be correct. As Ludwig AI highlights, this phrase needs a complement to specify the role or state related to fostering. The available examples primarily come from news and media sources. To improve clarity, consider using alternatives like "had been a foster child" or "had been foster parents" to ensure proper grammatical structure and meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been in foster care

Indicates a past state of being under foster care, emphasizing the care system.

had been placed in foster care

Highlights the action of being put into the foster care system.

was in the foster system

Indicates being part of the foster care infrastructure at some point.

had been a foster child

Specifies that the person was previously in the foster care system.

had grown up in foster care

Emphasizes that the person's upbringing occurred within the foster system.

had experienced foster care

Focuses on the experience of being in foster care.

had lived in foster homes

Highlights the living situation as being in multiple foster homes.

previously fostered

Uses 'fostered' as a verb, indicating the action of being cared for.

was formerly fostered

Similar to "previously fostered" but uses 'formerly' for emphasis on the past.

had been a foster kid

More informal term indicating a past experience with foster care.

FAQs

How can I correctly use the phrase "had been foster" in a sentence?

To use "had been foster" correctly, complete the phrase with additional words to specify what was being fostered. For instance, "She "had been a foster child"" or "They "had been foster parents"" provides the necessary context.

What's a more grammatically sound alternative to "had been foster"?

Alternatives include "had been in foster care", "had been a foster child", or "had been placed in foster care". These phrases are grammatically complete and convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "they had been foster" without adding more information?

No, it's not correct. The phrase "they had been foster" is incomplete. You need to specify what they were in relation to fostering, such as "They "had been foster parents"" or "They "had been fostering" children".

What is the difference between "had been foster parents" and "had been fostering"?

"Had been foster parents" describes a state of being where someone previously held the role of foster parents. "Had been fostering" describes an action, indicating that someone was in the process of providing foster care over a period of time.