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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
skills has not improved
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "skills has not improved" is not correct in English.
It should be "skills have not improved" because "skills" is plural. You can use it when discussing the lack of progress or development in someone's abilities or competencies. Example: "Despite the training sessions, her skills have not improved over the past few months."
⚠ May contain grammatical issues
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
60 human-written examples
It concluded that children's reading skills had not improved in 50 years.
News & Media
By summer, there's less money for savings and investment skills have not improved.
News & Media
Some possible subtle improvement was observed in LG's higher-order visual functions such as object recognition and part integration, while LG's face perception skills have not improved thus far.
Science
But here, and in Britain, our skills haven't improved over the years.
News & Media
It seems that the Syrian brown bear has always had a penchant for the pool, even if his surfing skills haven't improved much.
News & Media
Running a company has not improved my investing skills, which are completely unrelated to being a good leader and strategist.
News & Media
Traffic has not improved.
News & Media
But Ing says the relationship hasn't improved her language skills because Alex speaks perfect English.
News & Media
It hasn't improved.
News & Media
Consequently, we infer that SS training had not improved the skills of supervisors with respect to these management functions.
Science
Across a range of skills, people felt that they had improved from merely watching — even when they hadn't yet practiced the skill themselves, and even when they had not improved much at all.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
Always ensure subject-verb agreement. Since "skills" is plural, use "have" instead of "has". The correct phrasing is "skills have not improved".
Common error
Avoid using singular verbs with plural subjects. Saying "skills has not improved" is a common error. Remember that plural subjects like "skills" require plural verbs like "have".
Source & Trust
85%
Authority and reliability
1.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "skills has not improved" is an incorrect declarative statement. It attempts to express that abilities or competencies have not shown any positive change, but the grammar is flawed.
Frequent in
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Less common in
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Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, the phrase "skills has not improved" is grammatically incorrect due to a subject-verb disagreement. The plural noun "skills" requires the plural verb form "have". As Ludwig AI pointed out, the correct phrasing is "skills have not improved". While the intent is clear—to express a lack of progress in abilities—using the correct grammar is crucial for clarity and credibility. Alternative phrases such as "skills have not progressed" or "skills have not advanced" can be used to convey the same meaning with proper grammar.
More alternative expressions(10)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
skills have not progressed
Replaces "improved" with "progressed", maintaining the plural "have" for grammatical correctness.
skills have not advanced
Substitutes "improved" with "advanced", keeping the plural agreement.
abilities have not improved
Replaces "skills" with "abilities", both referring to someone's competences.
skills have stagnated
Uses "stagnated" to indicate a lack of improvement, emphasizing a standstill in development.
skills have remained unchanged
Indicates that the skills have not changed or gotten better, using a more descriptive term.
competencies have not improved
Replaces "skills" with "competencies", highlighting the lack of improvement.
there's been no skill enhancement
Rephrases the sentence to focus on the absence of "skill enhancement".
proficiency has not improved
Replaces "skills" with "proficiency", focusing on the level of expertise.
skill set has not improved
Refers to "skill set" in singular form. However, this does not imply that all the "skills" included in the "skill set" have stagnated.
expertise has not improved
Replaces "skills" with "expertise", emphasizing the absence of better skills.
FAQs
What is the correct way to say "skills has not improved"?
The correct way to phrase this is "skills have not improved" because "skills" is plural and requires the plural form of the verb "have".
What are some alternatives to "skills have not improved"?
You can use alternatives like "skills have not progressed", "skills have not advanced", or "skills have stagnated" to convey a similar meaning.
Is it grammatically correct to say "skills has not improved"?
No, it is not grammatically correct. The correct phrasing is "skills have not improved". Using "has" with the plural noun "skills" is an example of subject-verb disagreement.
How does using "have" instead of "has" change the meaning of "skills has not improved"?
Using "have" instead of "has" does not change the meaning, it corrects the grammar. "Skills have not improved" is grammatically sound, while "skills has not improved" is incorrect.
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
85%
Authority and reliability
1.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested