made some steps

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "made some steps" is not correct in standard written English.
A more appropriate expression would be "took some steps." Example: "In order to improve the situation, we made some steps towards finding a solution."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

26 human-written examples

They've made some steps.

The New York Times

"We made some steps, we made some strides," Oates said.

The New York Times - Sports

He has, to his credit, made some steps toward fixing this.

The New Yorker

Our mission in Afghanistan was to improve agriculture in Kunar, and we made some steps in that direction.

The New York Times

If we can finish this road trip the way we started it, then I think we will have made some steps forward".

The New York Times - Sports

Mondelez has made some steps to boost its performance, including shutting factories and setting a share buyback of up to $13.7bn, but analysts said Ackman probably wants more.

The Guardian - Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

33 human-written examples

Now, with some of his contemporaries co-opted by the mainstream, he's back with a new album, which makes some steps towards convention, while still retaining his own sound.

The Guardian - Music

He said at the July summit meeting between Mr. Obama and the Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, that the leaders could "make some steps where they will partner with us and Poland and the Czech Republic in going forward with missile defense in this third site".

The New York Times

The GCF makes some steps in the right direction, at least on paper, including by being the first fund to have a gender policy and action plan in place in advance of disbursing any money – but there's room for improvement as always.

The Guardian

Men's Warehouse is making some steps in this regard with their Web-based point-of-sale system.

Forbes

The article makes some steps towards the investigation of these research questions by means of an experiment where participants were exposed to negative stimuli via a computer screen.

Brain Informatics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "took some steps" instead of "made some steps" for grammatically correct phrasing.

Common error

Do not use "made" with "steps" to describe progress. The correct verb is "took". "Made" is often used for creating something new, not for advancing in stages.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "made some steps" functions as a verb phrase intended to express progress or advancement. Although Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically incorrect, its frequent use suggests an attempt to describe initiating actions towards a goal.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

52%

Science

32%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Academia

4%

Encyclopedias

2%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "made some steps" is a common but grammatically incorrect way to express that progress has been initiated. While Ludwig AI indicates its incorrectness, its frequent appearance in news and media suggests it's often used to convey that actions have been taken toward a goal. For grammatically sound alternatives, consider using "took some steps" or similar phrases. It is best to avoid "made some steps" in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

took some steps

Uses 'took' instead of 'made', correcting the grammatical issue while retaining the core meaning of initiating actions.

moved forward slightly

Focuses on the act of advancing from a starting point, implying a limited distance.

advanced slightly

Emphasizes a small degree of progress or forward movement.

progressed a bit

Highlights a partial advancement or improvement.

made headway

Expresses progress especially when facing initial difficulties. Implies reduced resistance.

achieved some progress

Highlights the attainment of progress, differing slightly by focusing on accomplishment.

improved somewhat

Highlights the action of something getting better to a certain extent.

gained ground

Indicates advancing towards a goal, often competitive, with slightly different connotation.

effected advancements

More formal, signifies that progress was actively caused or brought about.

carried out enhancements

Implies that actions carried out lead to improvements. More focused on technical context.

FAQs

What's a grammatically correct alternative to "made some steps"?

The grammatically correct way to express this idea is to use "took some steps".

Can I use "made some steps" in formal writing?

No, in formal writing, it's best to use "took some steps" or other similar grammatically correct alternatives.

What does "made some steps" mean?

While technically incorrect, "made some steps" generally implies that progress or advancements have been initiated. But consider "progressed a bit", "advanced slightly" or "improved somewhat" instead.

Is there a difference between "made some steps" and "took some steps"?

Yes, "took some steps" is the grammatically correct form. "Made some steps" is considered incorrect. Both are used to denote progress.