had nearly complete

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had nearly complete" is not correct as it is missing a noun to complete the thought.
You can use it when you want to describe something that is almost finished or whole, but it needs to be followed by a noun. Example: "The project had nearly complete funding, but we still needed a little more support."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

15 human-written examples

Several others, most notably Hendrik Lorentz and Henri Poincaré, had nearly complete versions of Special Relativity well before Einstein in 1905, and after the completion of General Relativity, the mathematician David Hilbert commented that "Every boy in the streets of Göttingen understands more about four dimensional geometry than Einstein.

Forbes

Throughout the scandal, corporate higher-ups have said they were in the dark because Mr. Ailes had nearly complete autonomy for his network and his budget, in no small part because of the large profits he was generating at Fox News.

The New York Times

In our patient on last follow-up, she had nearly complete range of flexion/extension movements at elbow, supination/pronation, wrist, and fingers after extensive physiotherapy.

Strategies in Trauma and Limb Reconstruction

The eyelid swelling initially decreased after initiation of the antibiotics, but after 3 days, the right eyelid swelling increased to the point that the patient had nearly complete ptosis.

Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection

The dozens of participating artists had nearly complete freedom to focus on anything from the decade — whatever inspired them.

Los Angeles Times

Plotting body weight against percentage of surface area without fur at 6 mo of age (Fig. 3A) showed that weight was highest in the animals that had nearly complete coats and vice versa.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

Before her illness, she had nearly completed a full historical treatment of the ensemble.

The New York Times

The Air Force had nearly completed integration before the Army really started.

The New York Times

When Murray died, in 1985, she had nearly completed the autobiography that omits this entire history.

The New Yorker

At his death he had nearly completed a book on the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

The New York Times - Arts

He had nearly completed his second book, about only children, when he suffered a stroke.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always follow the phrase "had nearly complete" with a noun to clarify what is almost finished. Example: "The project had nearly complete funding."

Common error

Avoid using "had nearly complete" without specifying what is almost complete. This omission can lead to ambiguity and grammatical errors. For example, instead of saying "The process had nearly complete", specify "The process had nearly complete documentation."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had nearly complete" functions as a descriptive element, aiming to convey the state of something being close to completion. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, it requires a noun to specify what is being described, which greatly influences its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

46.666%

Formal & Business

3.333%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had nearly complete" is used to express that something was close to being finished or whole, yet Ludwig AI highlights that it is grammatically incomplete without a following noun. It appears commonly in scientific and news contexts, suggesting a neutral to formal tone. To improve clarity and correctness, consider using alternatives like "was almost complete" or "had practically finished", and ensure the phrase is followed by a noun to avoid ambiguity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

almost completely had

Reorders the words while maintaining a similar meaning. Emphasizes 'completely'.

was almost complete

Changes the verb and reorders the adverb for a slightly different emphasis.

had practically finished

Uses "practically finished" to convey a sense of near completion.

was close to completion

Replaces "nearly complete" with a more formal phrase.

approached full completion

Implies movement towards the state of being complete.

was nearing completion

Indicates that the subject was getting closer to being completed.

had virtually completed

Uses 'virtually' to emphasize the near completion.

was substantially complete

Emphasizes that a large portion was finished.

had almost achieved

Focuses on the action of achieving near-completion.

was on the verge of completing

Suggests imminent completion.

FAQs

What does "had nearly complete" mean?

The phrase "had nearly complete" suggests that something was in a state of being almost finished or whole, but not quite. It requires a noun to specify what was in that state. For example, "The reconstruction had nearly complete funding".

Is "had nearly complete" grammatically correct?

According to Ludwig AI, the phrase "had nearly complete" is not correct as it is missing a noun to complete the thought. It's better to use alternatives such as "was almost complete" or "had almost finished."

What can I say instead of "had nearly complete"?

You can use alternatives like "almost completely had", "was almost complete", or "had practically finished" depending on the context.

How do I use "had nearly complete" in a sentence correctly?

To use "had nearly complete" correctly, always include a noun after it. For instance, "The building project had nearly complete architectural plans." Without the noun, the sentence is incomplete.