has been decline

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "has been decline" is not correct in English.
The correct form would be "has been declining." Example: "The company's profits have been declining over the past few quarters."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

There has been decline in pipe-making since cigarettes came in.

The New Yorker

Yes, there has been decline in Henry's pace, sometimes in his motivation, and in his personal life after his marriage to an English model, Nicole Merry, dissolved.

The New York Times - Sports

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Spending has been declining.

The New York Times

Le Monde's circulation has been declining.

The New York Times

The population of New Orleans has been declining.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The number of stops has been declining.

The Economist

Manufacturing has been declining for 30 years.

The Economist

East has been declining for years.

The New York Times - Sports

Rail ridership has been declining.

The Washington Post

Marriage has been declining for years.

The Washington Post

That number has been declining ever since.

The Washington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When indicating a continuous process of reduction, use the grammatically correct form "has been declining" instead of "has been decline".

Common error

Avoid using the noun "decline" directly after "has been". Instead, use the gerund form "declining" to create a grammatically correct present perfect continuous tense.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "has been decline" functions as an incomplete verb phrase. While aiming to describe a continuous action, it fails to correctly conjugate the verb "decline". Ludwig AI indicates that the correct form is "has been declining".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

66%

Encyclopedias

17%

Science

17%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "has been decline" is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI suggests the correct form is "has been declining", which uses the present participle to accurately convey a continuous action. Although examples of the incorrect phrase appear in various sources, including news and encyclopedias, it's essential to use the correct grammatical structure for clear and effective communication. Consider alternatives like "has been decreasing" or "has been reducing" to express similar meanings with better grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

has been decreasing

Replaces "decline" with the gerund form "decreasing" to create a grammatically correct continuous tense.

has been reduced

Uses "reduced" instead of "decline" to indicate a decrease, creating a passive construction.

has been diminishing

Substitutes "decline" with "diminishing" to describe a gradual reduction in something.

has seen a decline

Adds the verb "seen" to correctly form a present perfect tense indicating an observed reduction.

has experienced a decrease

Replaces "decline" with "decrease" and adds "experienced" for grammatical correctness.

has undergone reduction

Uses "undergone reduction" to indicate that something has been subjected to a decrease.

there has been a decline

Adds "there" to properly form an introductory phrase and introduces the concept of reduction.

a decline has occurred

Rearranges the sentence to emphasize that a decline has happened.

has shown a downturn

Replaces "decline" with "downturn" to indicate a negative trend.

has suffered a setback

Uses "suffered a setback" to indicate a reversal or impediment.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say something is decreasing?

The correct phrase is "has been declining". You can also say "has been decreasing" or "has been falling" depending on the context.

Is "has been decline" grammatically correct?

No, "has been decline" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "has been declining". The latter uses the present participle form of the verb, which is necessary for the present perfect continuous tense.

What are some alternatives to "has been declining"?

Alternatives include "has been decreasing", "has been reducing", or "has been diminishing", each conveying a similar meaning of something progressively decreasing.

How can I use "decline" correctly in a sentence?

You can use "decline" as a noun after a verb, for example, "There has been a decline". Alternatively, use the verb form "declining" after "has been", such as "It has been declining since last year".