had yet to

USAGE SUMMARY

"had yet to" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use "had yet to" to indicate that something had not happened up until that point. Example: Mary had yet to decide which college to attend.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

They had yet to adapt to wealth.

The New Yorker

AIDS had yet to become a scourge.

The New York Times

But a deal had yet to emerge.

The New York Times

The killers had yet to be caught.

Independent

The Golden Age had yet to arrive.

The New Yorker

They had yet to see a match.

The New York Times

That homicide had yet to be solved.

The New Yorker

But he had yet to say so.

The New York Times - Sports

It had yet to fade.

The Washington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

The thesis of metric conventionalism had yet to appear.

SEP

The anti-tax furore had yet to become mainstream.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had yet to" to clearly indicate that an action or event had not occurred before a specific point in the past. For example, "The package had yet to arrive when I left for work."

Common error

Avoid using "had yet to" when referring to the present or future. It is specifically for past actions that did not occur before another point in the past. Instead of saying "I had yet to eat," say "I haven't eaten yet."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had yet to" functions as a past perfect construction used to indicate that an event or action did not occur before a specific point in the past. Ludwig AI validates its correct usage. For example, "They had yet to adapt to wealth."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

61%

Science

20%

Academia

9%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Formal & Business

3%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had yet to" is a grammatically sound and frequently used construction to express that something had not occurred before a specific point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage. It appears most often in News & Media, Science and Academia. To avoid errors, ensure you're referring to past events, and consider alternatives like "had not yet" for simpler phrasing. With a strong expert rating and abundant examples, "had yet to" is a reliable way to convey temporal sequences in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had not yet

This alternative uses a simpler structure with "not yet" instead of "yet to".

had still not

Emphasizes the continuation of the non-occurrence.

remained to be

Focuses on the state of something needing to be done.

was still to be

Similar to 'remained to be', but with a slightly different phrasing.

had to still

Indicates something needed to be done, but reverses the order.

was pending

Focuses on the pending action or event.

had not at all

Emphasizes a complete lack of something happening.

had no intention of

Indicates a lack of future action or plans.

did not plan to

Focuses on the absence of a future intention.

was far from

Indicates a significant distance from a particular state or action.

FAQs

How do I use "had yet to" in a sentence?

Use "had yet to" to indicate that something had not happened before a specific time in the past. For example, "She "had yet to finish" her homework when her friends arrived".

What can I say instead of "had yet to"?

You can use alternatives like "had not yet", "still hadn't", or "remained to be" depending on the context. For instance, instead of "The problem "had yet to be solved"", you could say "The problem remained to be solved".

Is "had yet to" formal or informal?

"Had yet to" is generally considered neutral in register and suitable for both formal and informal writing, as evidenced by its use in news articles, academic papers, and general prose.

What's the difference between "had yet to" and "has yet to"?

"Had yet to" refers to the past, indicating something that didn't happen before a certain point in the past. "Has yet to" refers to the present, indicating something that hasn't happened up to now. For example, "He "had yet to begin" the project yesterday" versus "He "has yet to begin" the project today".