had settled on before

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had settled on before" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate a decision or choice that was made prior to a certain point in time. Example: "After much deliberation, we had settled on before the meeting that the project would move forward."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Encyclopedias

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

That would include $11 billion in cuts that the Democratic lawmakers had settled on before the midterm elections.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

She and the faculty have settled on 19 practices they want every student to master before graduation.

The New York Times - Magazine

In all three of those elections, either the parties had settled on a nominee before the March primary here or candidates chose to focus their attention on other states that had also moved their primaries forward -- and are much smaller and cheaper to campaign in.

The New York Times

He confirmed that he had settled on an ending years before the series wrapped up, one in which Tony and family would be having dinner "and a guy would come in".

The New York Times - Arts

In an essay posted Friday on the Web site of The American Prospect, Paul Starr, who was a senior adviser at the White House in 1993, said that Bill Clinton had "settled on the basic model for reform" before he took office.

The New York Times

He already had settled on Mr Freeh as his choice before announcing the firing, and quickly moved to line up support for his confirmation.

BBC

By August, the two campaigns had settled on a debate to be held before a veteran's group in Whittier on September 20.

Wikipedia

Giffords was beloved on Capitol Hill, and she also was headed for great things: Before she had settled on running for then-Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl's seat in 2012, she also considered the possibility of waiting to run for governor in 2014.

Huffington Post

In saying "Yes" before they had settled on a subject, I picked up in writers' voices and in their emails a yearning to acknowledge and to thank the people who had made a landmark difference in their lives -- to recognize them the best way a fiction writer can, by telling the story of their association.

Huffington Post

But clearly both sides had concluded that it was unnecessary to debate the issue now, before the United States had settled on a plan.

The New York Times

The primaries were supposed to happen in less than three weeks, giving Republicans a pretty good chance of voting before their party had settled on a presidential nominee and producing a good turnout as a result.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had settled on before" to clearly indicate that a decision or agreement was reached at a specific point in the past, prior to another event or situation. This provides clarity in timelines and decision-making processes.

Common error

Avoid using additional phrases that reiterate the past nature of the settling, like "already had settled on before", as "had settled" already implies a past action completed before another.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had settled on before" functions as a verb phrase indicating a completed action in the past prior to another event. It is used to express that a decision, agreement, or arrangement was reached at an earlier time. Ludwig AI validates its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Wiki

20%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Science

10%

Encyclopedias

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had settled on before" is a grammatically sound way to express that a decision or agreement was made prior to a specific point in time. While it is not exceedingly common, occurring rarely across a diverse range of sources, it is valid and understandable. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and offers suitable alternatives such as ""had decided on previously"". It is important to ensure the past perfect tense is necessary to avoid redundancy. The phrase is most frequently found in news and media, academic, and wiki contexts, maintaining a generally neutral register.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had decided on previously

Replaces 'settled on' with 'decided on' and uses 'previously' to emphasize the prior nature of the decision.

had agreed upon before

Substitutes 'settled' with 'agreed' and maintains the 'before' to indicate timing.

had determined beforehand

Uses 'determined' instead of 'settled' and 'beforehand' to highlight the advance decision-making.

had established prior to

Employs 'established' to suggest a more formal or concrete decision made 'prior to' a specific event.

had resolved before

Replaces 'settled on' with 'resolved' to imply a problem or conflict was addressed earlier.

had chosen in advance

Uses 'chosen' instead of 'settled' and 'in advance' to emphasize the selection process.

had finalized before

Substitutes 'settled' with 'finalized' to indicate a concluding decision.

had concluded beforehand

Replaces 'settled' with 'concluded', suggesting a reasoning process leading to a prior decision.

had arranged previously

Uses 'arranged' to indicate a plan or preparation that was made 'previously'.

had fixed upon earlier

Employs 'fixed upon' to mean a firm decision was made 'earlier'.

FAQs

What does "had settled on before" mean?

The phrase "had settled on before" means that a decision or agreement was reached at some point in the past, prior to another event or time. It indicates a sequence of actions where the settling occurred first.

How can I use "had settled on before" in a sentence?

You can use "had settled on before" to show that a choice was made earlier, for example: "The Democratic lawmakers "had settled on before" the midterm elections the budget cuts.".

What are some alternatives to "had settled on before"?

Alternatives include phrases like "had decided on previously", "had agreed upon before", or "had determined beforehand", which all convey a similar meaning of a prior decision.

Is "had settled on before" grammatically correct?

Yes, the phrase "had settled on before" is grammatically correct. It uses the past perfect tense correctly to indicate an action completed before another point in time. However, ensure that the context requires this specific tense to avoid redundancy.