of never before

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "of never before" is not correct in standard written English.
It is likely intended to convey a sense of unprecedented occurrence or experience, but the phrasing is awkward and unclear. Example: "This event is of never before seen magnitude."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

Doing so unlocks the core set of never before seen instructions that dictate how these microbes survive in these distinct environments.

University of California, Berkeley

IT was billed as "A Double Feature of Never Before Seen Paintings," starring Eve Plumb, a k a Jan Brady, of "Brady Bunch" fame.

The New York Times

This is an edited extract from a new edition of Never Before, Never Again: The Story of St George's 11-straight premierships, 1956-66 (Stoke Hill Press).

The Guardian - Sport

Forty Bosnian traditional ballads are now available to the English reader in this bilingual edition offering a selection of never before translated or published materials from Harvard University's Parry Collection.

Harvard University

As a tribute to his cultural achievements and extraordinary collections, the Cartier Foundation, and his wife Anne Kerchache, have brought together over one hundred pieces of never before seen Voodoo art.

Independent

Talk story about David Douglas Duncan, the photographer who on the anniversary of Picasso's 80th birthday will bring out "Picasso's Picassos," of never before shown paintings 532 in all.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

The Drosophila transcriptome group found thousands of never-before-discovered genes, regulatory elements, and alternate gene splicings.

University of California, Berkeley

View a slide show of never-before-published photos of Obama in his college days.

The New Yorker

(Angelo) 'Storytalks' (Tuesday) Alyse Kenny hosts this roundup of never-before-told stories from comics and other creative types.

The New York Times - Arts

"These types of never-before-seen vehicles certainly show signs of an industry adapting, evolving and moving forward.

The New York Times

In this piece, Lizza dug through hundreds of pages of never-before-seen memos showing how Obama actually governs.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "of never before" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more grammatically sound alternatives like "never-before-seen" or "unprecedented".

Common error

Using "of never before" can make your writing sound clumsy. Instead of saying, "a discovery of never before seen magnitude", try "a discovery of unprecedented magnitude" or "a never-before-seen discovery of this magnitude".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "of never before" attempts to function as an adjectival modifier, aiming to describe something as unprecedented or previously unseen. However, as Ludwig AI points out, this phrasing is grammatically awkward and less clear compared to alternatives.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

50%

Science

0%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "of never before" is an uncommon and grammatically awkward attempt to describe something unprecedented. Ludwig AI advises against using it in formal writing, recommending clearer and more direct alternatives such as "unprecedented" or "never-before-seen". While it may occasionally appear in news media, it's generally best to avoid this phrasing to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness. The example sentences extracted by Ludwig demonstrate that its usage occurs in both news and academic contexts, but its infrequency suggests that writers should opt for better alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unprecedented

Single word adjective replacing the entire phrase with a direct synonym.

never-before-seen

Hyphenated adjective that is more grammatically correct and commonly used.

novel

Single word adjective suggesting something new and original.

new

Simpler, more general adjective indicating recent introduction.

hitherto unknown

More formal and emphatic way of saying 'previously unknown'.

groundbreaking

Highlights the innovative and pioneering nature of something.

unexplored

Implies something has not been investigated or experienced yet.

unique

Emphasizes the distinct and unparalleled nature of something.

original

Focuses on the inventive and creative aspect.

unheard of

Expresses surprise or disbelief at something's occurrence.

FAQs

What's a better way to say "of never before"?

Consider using "unprecedented", "never-before-seen", or "hitherto unknown" depending on the context.

Is "of never before" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "of never before" is not considered standard or grammatically sound English. It's best to use more conventional phrasing.

How can I use "never-before-seen" in a sentence?

You could say, "The museum is displaying "never-before-seen" artifacts from the excavation".

What is the difference between "unprecedented" and "of never before"?

Unprecedented is a direct and grammatically correct adjective that means 'never having happened or existed before'. "Of never before" is a wordy and awkward way to try to convey the same meaning.