it not existed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it not existed" is not correct in written English.
The correct form would be "it did not exist." Example: "If it not existed, we would have no reason to question its impact on society."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Had it not existed, the European Union would in the past two years have been convulsed by a more extreme version of the currency instability that rocked it in the early 1990s.

The Economist

Gillespie might also wonder how different his life would be had Uefa's foreigner rule been abandoned a year earlier; had it not existed in 1995, Ferguson would not have sold Gillespie to Newcastle as part of the Cole deal.

The Guardian - Sport

From the perspective of the British economy that money might as well have been taxed at a rate of 100% – it's not paying wages or buying machinery, it's just sat idly in Bermuda and other havens, with exactly the same effect on growth as if the government had taxed it into oblivion, and the profits that produced it not existed in the first place.

The Guardian - Opinion

It may be somewhat homely and quite feeble, but had it not existed, neither would Mazda as we know it.

BBC

Poniewozik commented that the number was "so appropriate that, had it not existed, Glee probably would have had to invent it".

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

It has not existed forever.

WikiHow

It exists because it cannot not exist.

HuffPost

It did not exist in 1986, it did not exist in 1996, and it does not exist in 2002.

The New Yorker

It does not exist.

The New York Times

It did not exist.

The Economist

It does not exist anymore.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct past tense negation, such as "did not exist" or "had not existed", to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity.

Common error

Ensure that the auxiliary verb "do" is correctly conjugated to match the tense. The phrase "it not existed" omits the necessary auxiliary verb, which is crucial for forming negative statements in English.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it not existed" is grammatically incorrect. The correct structure requires an auxiliary verb such as "did" to form the negative past tense. As Ludwig AI shows, the correct alternative is "it did not exist."

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Wiki

40%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it not existed" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing. The correct alternative is "it did not exist" or similar variations using the auxiliary verb "did" or "had". As Ludwig AI indicates, although the phrase appears in some sources, its usage is infrequent and considered grammatically unsound. Therefore, always opt for grammatically correct alternatives to ensure clarity and professionalism in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it did not exist

Corrects the grammatical structure to standard past tense negation.

it never existed

Emphasizes the non-existence of something at any point in the past.

it has not existed

Uses the present perfect tense to indicate something that started in the past and continues to not exist.

it wasn't in existence

Rephrases to use a more descriptive and grammatically sound structure.

it had not existed

Uses the past perfect tense, useful for describing a state before a specific time in the past.

it used to not exist

This implies that at a certain point it started to exist.

it was nonexistent

Uses an adjective to describe the state of not existing.

it is not in existence

Similar to "it wasn't in existence" but used in the present tense.

it fails to exist

Emphasizes the inability or failure to come into existence.

it is yet to exist

Indicates that something may exist in the future, but not currently.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "it not existed"?

The correct way to phrase this is "it did not exist" or "it never existed". The auxiliary verb "did" is required to form the past tense negative.

When should I use "it had not existed" instead of "it did not exist"?

"It had not existed" is used to describe a state before a specific time in the past. For instance, "The technology had not existed before 2000." "It did not exist" is a simpler past tense negation.

Are there other ways to express the idea of something not existing?

Yes, you could say "it was nonexistent", "it wasn't in existence", or "it fails to exist", depending on the context and desired emphasis.

Why is "it not existed" considered grammatically incorrect?

In English, negative past tense statements require an auxiliary verb such as "did" or "had". Omitting this auxiliary verb, as in "it not existed", results in a grammatically incorrect phrase.