have already been

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'have already been' is grammatically correct and is commonly used in written English.
It is used to refer to something that has happened before. For example, "I have already been to London twice this year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Several have already been withdrawn.

The Economist

Many have already been evicted.

The Economist

Expectations have already been raised.

Independent

Some have already been lost.

Independent

Services have already been held.

The New York Times

There have already been failures.

The New York Times - Arts

Both have already been blacklisted.

The New York Times

A few solutions have already been offered.

The New York Times

The first two have already been held.

The Economist

Those have already been snapped up.

The New York Times

Bonuses for 2010 have already been decided.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "have already been" to clearly indicate that an action or state is completed before the present moment. It helps establish a timeline of events for your reader.

Common error

Avoid using "have already been" when referring to a future event. This phrase is strictly for completed actions. For future events, use phrases like "will have been".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "have already been" functions as part of the present perfect construction, indicating a completed action or state at an unspecified time before now. Ludwig AI confirms this through numerous examples where it precedes a past participle, forming a compound verb.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

78%

Encyclopedias

5%

Science

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Reference

2%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "have already been" is a versatile phrase used to indicate completed actions or states before the present moment. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread usage, particularly in news and media. When writing, remember to use "has already been" for singular subjects and "have already been" for plural subjects. Avoid using it for future events. For more formal contexts, consider alternatives like "have previously been". The phrase's high frequency and broad applicability make it a valuable asset in clear and effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

have previously been

Replaces "already" with "previously" emphasizing that something occurred at an earlier time.

have formerly been

Substitutes "already" with "formerly", indicating a past state that is no longer current.

have in the past been

Emphasizes the past nature of the action using the phrase "in the past".

have before been

Similar to "have previously been", but with a slightly more informal tone.

have at one time been

Highlights that something was true or existed at a specific point in the past.

have earlier been

Uses "earlier" as a substitute for "already", focusing on the timing of the event.

have once been

Indicates a single occurrence in the past, using "once" to replace "already".

have since been

Highlights that something has happened in the time since a prior event.

had already been

Shifts the tense to the past perfect, indicating completion before another past event.

have by now been

Emphasizes that something is completed given the passage of time. It implies that something has been achieved until now.

FAQs

How do I use "have already been" in a sentence?

Use "have already been" to indicate that something was completed before the present moment. For example, "The packages "have already been shipped"" or "I "have already been there"."

What's a more formal alternative to "have already been"?

In formal writing, you could replace "have already been" with "have previously been" or "have formerly been", which are slightly more sophisticated. For example, "The matter "has previously been discussed"" instead of "The matter "have already been" discussed."

Which is correct, "has already been" or "have already been"?

"Has already been" is used with singular subjects (e.g., "The project "has already been approved""), while "have already been" is used with plural subjects or the pronoun "I/you/we/they" (e.g., "We "have already been informed"").

What is the difference between "have already been" and "had already been"?

"Have already been" refers to actions completed before the present, while "had already been" refers to actions completed before another point in the past. For instance, "I have already been to the store" (before now) versus "I "had already been to the store" when you called" (before you called).