it was delay

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it was delay" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "it was a delay"? If this is the case, you can use it to refer to a situation where something was postponed or took longer than expected. Example: "The project was supposed to be completed last week, but it was a delay due to unforeseen circumstances."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

There were long delays" [SC, C]. "it was delay, delay, delay" [SC, C]. "Eventually yes.

BMC Health Services Research

[no]." [PC, P] However there were a couple of carers who felt the process was not streamlined enough: "it was delay, delay, delay" [SC, C]. "Eventually yes.

BMC Health Services Research

"It was DeLay, it was Boehner, it was Paxon, and it was Armey — all four of them.

The New Yorker

On half of trials this cost was physical effort needed to obtain reward, and on half of trials it was delay to reward.

eLife

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

In September, Line said it was delaying its initial public offering to "expand the business globally".

TechCrunch

It was delayed anyway.

The New York Times - Travel

Then it was delayed.

The New Yorker

Then it was delayed again.

The New Yorker

But it was delayed and delayed and delayed.

The New York Times - Tech

For one thing, it was delayed a night.

The New Yorker

To start with, it was delayed for years by lawsuits.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to a past delay, use the grammatically correct form "it was a delay" or "it was delayed."

Common error

A common mistake is to omit the article "a" before "delay" when referring to a single instance. Always remember to use "it was a delay" rather than the ungrammatical "it was delay".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it was delay" is grammatically incorrect and does not function properly in a sentence. Based on Ludwig AI, it is necessary to correct it to "it was a delay" or "it was delayed" to have a correct grammatical function.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it was delay" is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI indicates, it should be corrected to "it was a delay" or "it was delayed" to properly convey the intended meaning of something being postponed. While examples of this incorrect usage exist in various contexts, including Science and News & Media, it's crucial to use the correct grammatical form for clear communication. When aiming to express that something experienced a setback, consider alternatives such as "there was a delay" or "it experienced a delay" to maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it was a delay

Adds the necessary article "a" to make the phrase grammatically correct, referring to a single instance of delay.

there was a delay

Replaces the subject to "there" to improve grammatical correctness while keeping the meaning of a postponement.

it experienced a delay

Changes the verb to "experienced" to provide a more formal and grammatically sound alternative.

it was delayed

Uses the past participle form of "delay" to correctly indicate that something was postponed.

the process encountered delays

Rephrases the sentence to focus on the process experiencing multiple delays, suggesting a more complex issue.

the schedule slipped

Offers a more concise and idiomatic way of saying that the timing of something was pushed back.

the project was behind schedule

Indicates that the project's progress is slower than planned, implying a delay.

progress was hampered

Implies delays by stating that progress was obstructed or slowed down.

things were held up

Uses a more informal expression to indicate that something was stopped or delayed.

there were setbacks

Indicates that unforeseen problems caused delays in the progress of something.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say something experienced a delay?

The correct way to phrase it is "it was "a delay"" or "it was "delayed"". The original form, "it was delay", is grammatically incorrect.

How can I rephrase "it was delay" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, consider saying "there was a delay", "it experienced a delay", or "the process encountered "delays"".

What does it mean when something "was delayed"?

When something "was delayed", it means that it was postponed or its progress was slowed down. You can also express this as "it was "a delay"" but remember to include the article "a".

Is it ever correct to say "it was delay"?

No, "it was delay" is grammatically incorrect in standard English. The correct phrasing would be "it was "a delay"" or "it was "delayed"".