she phoned him

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "she phoned him" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing an action where a female individual made a phone call to a male individual. Example: "After a long day at work, she phoned him to discuss their weekend plans."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Books

Sport

Magazine

Travel

Arts

Opinion

Style

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

17 human-written examples

She phoned him up.

The Guardian - Books

Then she phoned him one night.

The New Yorker

When Maynard did not arrive, she phoned him "50 times".

Independent

She phoned him from a McDonald 's on Westheimer

The New Yorker

She phoned him to tell him how much his encouragement had meant to her.

The New Yorker

When Crocetta's mother saw a news report about a plan to kill her son, she phoned him in fear.

The New York Times - Magazine

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

43 human-written examples

The Queen is a deeply knowledgeable owner whose racing manager, John Warren, says she phones him several times a week and follows the sport closely.

The Guardian - Sport

He also talked about his long-delayed marriage to Barbara, whom he had met at college – revealing that having lost touch for 30 years after she returned to Finland, she had phoned him out of the blue.

The Guardian - Business

At this moment, she halfway wished she hadn't phoned him.

The New Yorker

It was she who'd phoned him to report his wife's car crash, she who'd fielded the notification from the highway patrol.

The New Yorker

Nina had foreseen that, and told me to say that she just needed to rest, and she'd phone him, or I would, if she got any worse.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing dialogue, "she phoned him" is a straightforward way to indicate a phone call. Ensure the context clarifies the reason for the call to enhance reader understanding.

Common error

Avoid vague pronouns. If it's unclear who "she" and "him" refer to, clarify the identities to prevent confusion.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "she phoned him" functions as a narrative statement, detailing a completed action in the past. It clearly expresses that a female subject initiated a phone call to a male subject. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Books

13%

Wiki

7%

Less common in

Sport

4%

Arts

3%

Opinion

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "she phoned him" is a grammatically correct and commonly used way to describe a woman making a phone call to a man. Ludwig AI indicates the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It is found frequently in news and media, books, and other narrative contexts. While alternatives like "she called him" exist, "she phoned him" remains a clear and acceptable choice for expressing this action. It is important to ensure clarity by defining who “she” and “him” are. Overall, it serves as a straightforward narrative statement in various writing styles.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

she called him

Replaces "phoned" with the more common synonym "called".

she gave him a call

Emphasizes the action of making a call.

she rang him up

Uses the phrasal verb "rang up", implying a phone call.

she telephoned him

Employs the more formal term "telephoned".

she contacted him by phone

Specifies the method of contact as "by phone".

she reached out to him by phone

Indicates an attempt to connect, specifying the medium.

she got in touch with him by phone

Highlights the establishment of communication via phone.

she communicated with him by phone

Focuses on the act of communication through a phone.

she made a phone call to him

More verbose, emphasizing the action of making the call.

she had a telephone conversation with him

Highlights that the communication was a conversation.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "she phoned him"?

You can use alternatives like "she called him", "she gave him a call", or "she rang him up" depending on the context.

Is "she phoned him" grammatically correct?

Yes, "she phoned him" is grammatically correct. "Phoned" is the past tense of the verb "to phone", and it's used correctly in this sentence structure.

In what contexts is "she phoned him" commonly used?

"She phoned him" is commonly used in narrative contexts such as news reports, books, and everyday conversations to describe a past event.

What is a more formal alternative to "she phoned him"?

A more formal alternative would be "she telephoned him". This uses a slightly more elevated vocabulary.