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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
have been collected
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
"have been collected" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a collection of objects, ideas, or information that have already been gathered. For example, "The historical documents from the archives have been collected and compiled in a book."
✓ Grammatically correct
Science
News & Media
Academia
Alternative expressions(20)
have been gathered
have been compiled
have been obtained
have been accumulated
were assembled
were compiled
have been amassed
have been broken up
have been made up
were taken
have been capable
have been detected
have been sold
have been taken up
have been implemented
have been approved
have been raised
have been planned
have been dug up
have been caught up
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
60 human-written examples
In a normal investigation, those pieces would have been collected.
News & Media
Simultaneously, intelligence must have been collected and delivered by I.D.F.
News & Media
Available data have been collected from observatories globally.
Science & Research
This fee would have been collected every year.
News & Media
His poetic works have been collected in Segnalibro.
News & Media
Genetic data have been collected from 1,645 Alzheimer's patients.
News & Media
And they have been collected passionately for centuries.
News & Media
Drinking water samples have been collected in 39 states.
Ultimate results have been collected at the end of 2006.
Science
Over 5000 experimental data have been collected and analysed.
Data have been collected by Italian Statistic Institute (ISTAT).
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
When using "have been collected", ensure the subject performing the action is clear, either explicitly stated or easily inferred from the context. This maintains clarity and avoids ambiguity.
Common error
Avoid using "have been collected" with a singular subject. For instance, instead of "The data have been collected", use "The data has been collected" if referring to a single dataset.
Source & Trust
81%
Authority and reliability
4.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "have been collected" functions as a passive construction in the present perfect tense. It indicates that a subject has undergone the action of being gathered or assembled. Ludwig's examples show its usage in various contexts, from data collection to physical objects.
Frequent in
Science
44%
News & Media
37%
Academia
7%
Less common in
Wiki
5%
Encyclopedias
1%
Formal & Business
1%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, the phrase "have been collected" is a grammatically correct and frequently used passive construction in the present perfect tense, used to communicate that something has been gathered. Ludwig AI confirms this. As demonstrated by Ludwig's numerous examples, this phrase appears most often in scientific and news media contexts, with a neutral to formal register. To ensure proper usage, pay attention to subject-verb agreement and strive for clarity in indicating who or what performed the collecting action. Consider alternatives such as "have been gathered" or "have been compiled" for nuanced meanings.
More alternative expressions(10)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
have been gathered
Implies a less formal or systematic collection process compared to "collected".
have been accumulated
Suggests a gradual increase over time, rather than a deliberate collection.
were assembled
Focuses on bringing different parts together to form a whole.
were compiled
Emphasizes the organization and arrangement of collected information.
have been compiled
Refers to gathering information systematically for a specific purpose.
have been obtained
Highlights the acquisition of something, possibly through effort.
have been brought together
Focuses on the action of uniting things or people.
have been amassed
Indicates the accumulation of a large quantity of something.
were harvested
Is commonly used for gathering crops and other natural resources.
have been rounded up
Implies the gathering of people or animals, often by force.
FAQs
How to use "have been collected" in a sentence?
"Have been collected" indicates that multiple items or pieces of information have been gathered. For instance, "The samples "have been collected" for analysis" or "Signatures "have been collected" to support the petition".
What can I say instead of "have been collected"?
You can use alternatives such as "have been gathered", "have been compiled", or "have been obtained" depending on the context.
Is it correct to say "has been collected" instead of "have been collected"?
The correct form depends on the subject. Use "has been collected" with singular subjects (e.g., "The sample has been collected"), and ""have been collected"" with plural subjects (e.g., "The samples "have been collected"").
What's the difference between "have been collected" and "were collected"?
"Have been collected" is present perfect tense, implying the collection happened at an unspecified time in the past but is relevant now. "Were collected" is simple past passive, indicating the collection occurred at a specific time in the past and may not necessarily have present relevance.
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
81%
Authority and reliability
4.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested