had been subscribed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been subscribed" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used in contexts where you want to indicate that someone or something was subscribed to a service or publication in the past, often before another event occurred. Example: "By the time the newsletter was discontinued, she had been subscribed for over two years."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

7th, 98 1/2% of the new stock had been subscribed for.

The New Yorker

In six months, £400,000 (£32m or $50m today) of capital had been subscribed, two and a half times Scotland's annual exports.

The Economist

It turned out that he had been subscribed to the service for more than a year — which racked up to a substantial amount of money.

TechCrunch

We computed the time interval between the last time an issue had been merged and the last time it had been subscribed to by an assignee (issues and pull requests are dual on Github; for each opened pull request, an issue is opened automatically (Gousios 2013)).

Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development

There was considerable interest in the scheme, as 1,244 shares of £100 had been subscribed by early 1809, but with opposition from land and mill owners, and Rennie's report indicating much higher costs, the project was dropped.

Wikipedia

Of this, only £28,000 had been subscribed at the time of the Act, but construction began near Chester, with Samual Weston acting as engineer and John Lawton working as his assistant.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Since the stagflation and conservative political backlash of the late nineteen-seventies, it has been subscribed to by almost everyone on the center left, myself included.

The New Yorker

Of the ten million subscribed in the fund-raising campaign which started in 1924 with F.D. Roosevelt as chairman, nine and a half million were met before 1929, about two million has been subscribed, half of it by the late G.F. Baker.

The New Yorker

For example, even though the statute allows the sponsor to start closing title to units after 15percentt have been subscribed for, some construction lenders may impose higher percentages.

The New York Times

Our thinking about the functions of NOCA-1 was not that heavily impacted by the microtubule anchoring function that has been subscribed to ninein, as we did not realize NOCA-1 was a potential ninein homolog until we began to write up the work.

eLife

Dwan declined to give any details on how many users Snapjoy has signed up, or any other usage metrics, or how many people have been subscribing to its paid tier versus only using the free service.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been subscribed" to clearly indicate a past action that occurred before another point in time, especially when emphasizing the duration or state resulting from the subscription.

Common error

Avoid using "had been subscribed" when the simple past tense ("was subscribed") is sufficient. Use the past perfect only when specifying that the subscription occurred before another event in the past.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been subscribed" functions as a past perfect passive construction. It indicates that a subscription was in effect before a specific point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms that this construction is grammatically sound and appropriate for conveying past actions. Examples show its usage in diverse contexts from news to technical documentation.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Wiki

20%

Science

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been subscribed" is a grammatically sound past perfect passive construction used to indicate that a subscription was active before a certain point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and provides varied examples across contexts such as news, wiki entries, and scientific publications. While it appears in both formal and informal writing, it's crucial to differentiate it from simpler past tenses. The most common use cases are related to news and media, Wiki and science contexts. Consider alternatives like "had signed up for" or "had enrolled in" for active voice constructions. By ensuring correct tense and choosing appropriate alternatives, you can effectively convey temporal relationships in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had signed up for

Replaces the passive voice with an active construction, focusing on the action of signing up.

had enrolled in

Similar to 'signed up', but often implies a more formal or structured subscription.

had registered for

Implies a formal registration process, suitable for services or events.

had a subscription to

Focuses on the state of having a subscription rather than the act of subscribing.

had taken out a subscription for

More explicitly states the action of obtaining a subscription.

had become a subscriber to

Emphasizes the transition into being a subscriber.

had opted in to

Focuses on the act of choosing to receive a service or information.

had committed to

Shifts the meaning to a commitment to an idea or belief, not just a service.

had agreed to

Implies a formal agreement or acceptance, which could lead to a subscription.

had been a member of

Suggests belonging to a group or organization through subscription.

FAQs

How do I use "had been subscribed" in a sentence?

Use "had been subscribed" to show that someone was subscribed to something before a specific time in the past. For example, "By the time the magazine ceased publication, she "had been subscribed" for five years."

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

"Was subscribed" indicates a simple past state, while ""had been subscribed"" indicates a past action completed before another point in the past. Use "had been subscribed" to emphasize the sequence of events.

What are some alternatives to "had been subscribed"?

Alternatives include "had signed up for", "had enrolled in", or "had a subscription to", depending on the specific context and desired emphasis.

Is "had been subscribed" formal or informal?

"Had been subscribed" is generally neutral in tone and can be used in both formal and informal contexts, although more concise phrasing might be preferred in very informal settings.