it was risen

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'it was risen' is not correct in written English.
The correct phrase in this instance is 'it had risen'. For example, "They noticed that the water level in the pond had risen since the previous day."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

It was Risen who exposed the Bush administration's illegal NSA eavesdropping program in 2006, and he also exposed a highly inept and harmful CIA attempt to infiltrate Iran's nuclear program.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

There was no noise, but it was rising so fast.

The Guardian

And it was rising at an alarming rate — about an inch an hour.

The New Yorker

For them, it was rising salt levels in the soil that eventually brought them down.

Huffington Post

Harlem had its heyday, it went down, and now it's risen again.

The New York Times

"It's risen and fallen two times.

The New York Times - Sports

But it's risen sharply over the past year".

The Guardian

"It's risen from the ashes," said Barton Crockett, a senior analyst at Lazard Capital Markets.

The New York Times

"Clearly it's risen since.

BBC

Now it's risen 40%.

Los Angeles Times

It's risen.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct tense. Replace "it was risen" with "it had risen" when referring to a past action completed before another point in time, or "it has risen" for an action continuing to the present.

Common error

Avoid using the passive voice incorrectly. "Risen" is the past participle of "rise" and requires a helping verb like "have" or "had". Using "was" with "risen" creates a grammatically incorrect construction.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it was risen" is an incorrect passive construction. The correct passive form requires a form of "have" (has/had) before "risen". As Ludwig AI points out, the correct form would be "it had risen" or "it has risen", depending on context.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "it was risen" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in written English. As Ludwig AI suggests, the correct phrasing depends on the intended meaning: "it had risen" (past perfect) or "it has risen" (present perfect) are the accurate alternatives. Though sources like The Guardian and The New York Times contain the phrase, its infrequent and incorrect usage impacts its suitability for formal contexts. When writing, ensure the correct tense and auxiliary verbs are used with "risen" to convey the intended message clearly.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it had risen

Corrects the tense to past perfect, indicating an action completed before another point in the past.

it has risen

Changes to present perfect, indicating an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

it rose

Uses simple past tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

it increased

Replaces "risen" with a synonym to describe a general increase.

it elevated

Uses a more formal synonym for "risen", suggesting upward movement or increase.

it went up

An informal alternative indicating an increase or upward movement.

it ascended

A more formal word indicating movement upwards.

it climbed

A simple and direct word to indicate something has moved upward.

it grew

Indicates a gradual increase in size, number, or degree.

it improved

Implies an increase in quality or condition.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "risen" in a sentence?

Use "risen" with the auxiliary verbs "have", "has", or "had" to form the perfect tenses. For example, "The sun "has risen"" or "The floodwaters "had risen" before dawn".

What's the difference between "it rose" and "it has risen"?

"It rose" is simple past tense, indicating a completed action in the past. "It "has risen"" is present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present.

Is "it was risen" grammatically correct?

No, "it was risen" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The correct forms are "it "had risen"" or "it "has risen"", depending on the intended meaning and context.

When should I use "it had risen" instead of "it rose"?

Use "it "had risen"" to indicate that the action of rising was completed before another action in the past. For example, "The water "had risen" significantly by the time we arrived".