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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
had collaborating
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "had collaborating" is not correct in standard written English.
It is not a commonly used construction and may confuse readers. Example: "They had collaborating efforts on the project last year." (This should be rephrased for clarity.)
⚠ May contain grammatical issues
Wiki
Formal & Business
News & Media
Alternative expressions(4)
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
2 human-written examples
The program also had collaborating partners represented by: GFATM, as a main donor, WHO, UNFPA, PSI and GIZ.
Formal & Business
This will show support to your friend and may get him/her to remember the good times you had collaborating to build this wiki together.
Wiki
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
58 human-written examples
Some villagers had collaborated with the guerrillas.
News & Media
It helped that the two had collaborated before.
News & Media
Some had collaborated with the Nazis and feared retaliation.
Encyclopedias
Gordon and Intel had collaborated and rehearsed this for months.
News & Media
The two had collaborated with other horses, but had not had much success.
News & Media
Valdes had collaborated with researchers in Canada and New Zealand.
He had collaborated with no other librettist since 1875.
Wiki
Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns had collaborated on The Informant!
Wiki
The HAL had collaborated with the Admiralstab since the 1890s.
Wiki
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
Always use the correct past participle form "collaborated" after "had". This ensures grammatical accuracy and clarity in your writing.
Common error
Avoid using the present participle "collaborating" directly after "had". The correct form is the past participle, which is "collaborated". Using the present participle creates a grammatically incorrect phrase.
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "had collaborating" is intended to function as part of a verb phrase indicating a past action. However, it is grammatically incorrect as the auxiliary verb "had" requires a past participle (e.g., "collaborated"), not a present participle (e.g., "collaborating"). As Ludwig AI points out, the phrase is not correct in standard written English.
Frequent in
Wiki
50%
Formal & Business
50%
News & Media
0%
Less common in
Academia
0%
Encyclopedias
0%
Science
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, the phrase "had collaborating" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal and informal writing. The correct form is "had collaborated". As Ludwig AI indicates, this phrase is not standard English. When aiming to express past collaboration, use "had collaborated" or other appropriate alternatives like "had been collaborating" to ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy. Although there are a few examples of its use, they do not legitimize the construction's grammatical standing.
More alternative expressions(6)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
had collaborated
Corrects the grammatical structure by using the past participle form of the verb "collaborate".
had been collaborating
Emphasizes the ongoing nature of the collaboration in the past.
collaborated
Simplifies the phrase while maintaining the core meaning of past collaboration.
had worked together
Replaces "collaborating" with a more general term for working jointly.
had partnered
Focuses on the partnership aspect of the collaboration.
were collaborating
Emphasizes the action of collaborating was in progress at a certain point in the past.
had joined forces
Implies a combined effort towards a common goal.
had teamed up
Informal way of saying that two or more people or groups have joined together to work on something.
had cooperated
Emphasizes the cooperative nature of the work.
had contributed jointly
Highlights shared contributions to a project or effort.
FAQs
What is the correct grammatical form: "had collaborating" or "had collaborated"?
The correct grammatical form is "had collaborated". "Had" requires a past participle, and "collaborated" is the past participle of "collaborate".
What can I say instead of "had collaborating"?
You can use alternatives like "had collaborated", "had been collaborating", or simply "collaborated" depending on the context.
Is "had collaborating" ever correct?
No, "had collaborating" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct form is "had collaborated".
How to use "had collaborated" in a sentence?
You can use "had collaborated" to describe a past action of working together. For example: "They had collaborated on the project before it was cancelled".
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested