had been programmed for

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been programmed for" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a past action where something was set up or designed for a specific purpose or function. Example: "The robot had been programmed for various tasks, including cleaning and organizing the workspace."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

These words had been programmed for Philip.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

With my mind racing over the fact that my entrepreneurial cohorts had been programming for many years, I knew something had to change.

TechCrunch

They have been programmed for language.

The New Yorker

A second thing that "The Program Era" does well, and sometimes entertainingly, is to treat the world of creative writing as an ant farm, in which the writer-ants go about busily executing the tasks they have been programmed for.

The New Yorker

All the equations and graphs presented have been programmed for design use.

Journal of Terramechanics

Correspondingly, the user subroutines UMAT have been programmed for definition of their mechanical constitutive relations.

Mechanics of Materials

A robot in Japan has been programmed for just that - trying its hand at both cooking and painting nails.

BBC

The algorithm has been programmed for use on a desk-top machine and large (sparse matrix) eigenvalue problems have been solved.

Journal of Sound and Vibration

Men have been programmed for centuries to believe that women's main focus in life must be home management, motherhood and child-care.

Huffington Post

"There are a lot of people who have been programming for 20 years, but it's never been possible to start a company".

The New York Times

Janan has a degree in electrical engineering and has been programming for nearly a decade in about 20 languages.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been programmed for" to emphasize the pre-planned nature of a process or function, highlighting that it was designed with a specific goal in mind.

Common error

Avoid using "had been programmed for" when the intended meaning is simply "planned". "Programmed" implies a technical or systematic setup, while "planned" is more general. For instance, say "the event had been planned for months" rather than "programmed".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been programmed for" functions as a passive voice construction, indicating that something (or someone) received programming to perform a specific action or fulfill a particular purpose. Ludwig AI validates this usage through its examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Encyclopedias

10%

Reference

10%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had been programmed for" functions as a passive construction used to express a prior action where something was specifically prepared or designed for a particular task. Ludwig AI analysis confirms its grammatical correctness and suitability in various contexts, especially in news, media, and scientific domains. While "had been programmed for" is not incredibly frequent, it serves a precise purpose in conveying intentionality and preparation. Remember to use it when emphasizing the technical or systematic setup of a process or function, rather than simply planning. Alternatives include "was designed for" or "was intended for", depending on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was designed for

Changes the tense and voice to active, emphasizing design over the programming process.

was created for

Focuses on the creation aspect rather than the specific programming.

was intended for

Highlights the intended purpose rather than the technical implementation.

was set up for

Suggests a preparation or arrangement for a specific function.

was configured for

Emphasizes the setting up of parameters and configurations.

was built for

Focuses on the construction and purpose-built nature of something.

was tailored for

Highlights the customization to meet specific needs.

was adapted for

Emphasizes the modification to suit a new purpose.

was made to

Simple and direct, focusing on the action of making something for a purpose.

was purposed for

Highlights the reason or aim behind the programming.

FAQs

How can I use "had been programmed for" in a sentence?

Use "had been programmed for" to describe something that was specifically designed or set up to perform a certain task. For example, "The robot "had been programmed for" cleaning the house".

What are some alternatives to "had been programmed for"?

Alternatives include "was designed for", "was created for", or "was intended for" depending on the specific context and emphasis you want to convey.

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

"Had been programmed for" indicates an action completed in the past before another point in time, while "was programmed for" simply indicates a past action without specifying a subsequent event. Use "had been programmed" when the programming occurred earlier in a sequence of events.

Is "had been programmed for" formal or informal language?

"Had been programmed for" is generally considered neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. The formality often depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and the overall tone of the writing.