it was costs

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'it was costs' is not correct and not usable in written English.
Instead, you can use the phrase 'it cost'. For example, you could say "It cost me $10 to get to the store".

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Rather it was costs like inventory and how long it took workers to finish a task.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

It was cost-prohibitive, too".

The New York Times - Tech

It was costing her a fortune.

The Guardian

It was costing them $300 to hook one sign-up.

Forbes

It was cost-prohibitive not to.

Huffington Post

It was costing me an arm and a leg.

Vice

Ultimately _____________ decided against it because it was cost prohibitive.

Huffington Post

It was costing about $42 million simply to print the magazine.

Huffington Post

With index funds, it's costs, costs, costs.

Forbes

It's costing them politically".

The New Yorker

It's cost of entry.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to expenses, use the grammatically correct phrase "it was the cost" or restructure the sentence to use "there were costs."

Common error

Avoid using "costs" immediately after "it was"; this is grammatically incorrect. Ensure subject-verb agreement by using "cost" in the singular form or restructuring the sentence.

Linguistic Context

"It was costs" is an ungrammatical phrase. It attempts to express the idea that something involved or resulted in expenses. However, the mismatch between the singular verb "was" and the plural noun "costs" renders the phrase incorrect. Ludwig AI confirms this assessment.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

News & Media

0%

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it was costs" is grammatically incorrect due to a subject-verb agreement issue. Ludwig AI identifies the phrase as ungrammatical, and while it appears in some sources, it's best to avoid using it. Correct alternatives include "it was the cost" or "there were costs". When referring to expenses, ensure correct grammar by checking that the verb form agrees with the noun it modifies. This guidance ensures clarity and professionalism in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it was the cost

Corrects the grammar by using the singular noun 'cost'.

there were costs

Restructures the sentence to use the more grammatically correct 'there were'.

it was expensive

Replaces 'costs' with a more general adjective describing high price.

the price was

Substitutes 'costs' with the term 'price' to indicate expense.

it led to costs

Focuses on the causal relationship resulting in expenses.

it incurred costs

Emphasizes the action of accumulating expenses.

it involved expenses

Highlights that the situation led to financial expenditure.

the expenditure was

Uses the formal term 'expenditure' to refer to the spending.

the expenses were

Modifies sentence structure to focus on the expenses themselves.

the charges were

Uses an alternative term 'charges' to represent expenses.

FAQs

What is the correct way to express the idea behind "it was costs"?

The grammatically correct ways to convey a similar idea include "it was the "it was the cost"" (singular) or "there were "there were costs"" (plural).

Is "it was costs" ever correct in English?

No, the phrase "it was costs" is grammatically incorrect. "Costs" is a plural noun, and it does not agree with the singular verb "was".

What are some alternatives to "it was costs" that maintain a similar meaning?

Instead of "it was costs", you could use phrases like "it was "it was expensive"", "the "the charges were"", or "the "the expenses were"", depending on the intended context.

How can I avoid making mistakes similar to using "it was costs"?

To avoid similar errors, always ensure subject-verb agreement in your sentences. If the subject is plural, use a plural verb form (e.g., "they were"). If the subject is singular, use a singular verb form (e.g., "it was").