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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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targets was due

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "targets was due" is not correct in written English.
It seems to be a grammatical error, likely due to subject-verb agreement, as "targets" is plural and should be paired with "were" instead of "was." Example: "The targets were due for completion last week."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

We further examined whether our failure to detect common targets was due to the incorrect identification of orthologous HCEs.

Science

Plosone

To demonstrate that the response of the 14 new targets was due to base pairing with Qrr4, we engineered mutations disrupting the putative pairing regions in Qrr4.

This larger number for hard targets was due in part to the fact that more alignment tools were used, and so we generated more query-template alignments, and hence more models ended up being generated.

This treatment abrogated the enhanced adhesion to E-cadherin expressing targets, confirming that the increased adhesion to E-cadherin expressing targets was due to the expression of functional CD103.

To verify that the expression of these TGF-β targets was due to aberrant TGF-β signaling in response to SFRP1 down-regulation, cells were treated with a TGF-β receptor (TGF-βR1) specific inhibitor (LY364957) and gene expression was again analyzed by way of real-time PCR.

Science

BMC Cancer

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

The 17 goals, including 169 targets, are due to be ratified on Friday by the 193 United Nation member states, in order to frame their agendas and policies until 2030.

News & Media

The Guardian

The need for constantly developing new drugs and drug targets is due to the unique property of microorganisms to adapt to harsh conditions and, implicitly, to new drugs.

Two-way communication is essential because there is no way of determining whether a teacher's or a principal's failure to reach growth targets were due to the educator's weakness or due to dysfunctional policies imposed by their bosses.

News & Media

Huffington Post

It is unlikely that our failure to detect putative Mediator targets is due to non-optimal positioning of primer pairs, because the average size of sonicated chromatin ensures that Mediator binding profiles have relatively broad peaks, as evident at GAL1,10 [16], [16] and CCW12 [11].

Science

Plosone

Such a wide diversity in their molecular targets is due to changes in their primary sequences, while keeping the basic molecular scaffold intact.

We propose that the failure of Waldminghaus and Skarstad to identify many of these σ targets is due predominantly to the lower data quality in their study.

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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always ensure subject-verb agreement. Since "targets" is plural, use "were" instead of "was". For example, use "Targets were due" to maintain grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using singular verbs with plural subjects. Double-check that plural nouns like "targets" are paired with plural verbs like "were" to ensure grammatical accuracy.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

60%

Authority and reliability

1.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase appears to function as a statement indicating a scheduled or expected completion date for multiple objectives. However, it exhibits grammatical errors due to incorrect subject-verb agreement, as identified by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "targets was due" is grammatically incorrect due to subject-verb disagreement. The plural noun "targets" requires the plural verb "were"; therefore, the correct phrasing is "targets were due". While various sources use the incorrect phrase, as shown by Ludwig, it's crucial to maintain grammatical accuracy in writing. Alternatives such as "targets were expected", "targets had a deadline", or "targets were scheduled" can be used to express similar meanings with correct grammar. When writing, always double-check subject-verb agreement to avoid such errors. Because of the grammatical errors and the suggestion made by Ludwig, this form should be avoided.

More alternative expressions(6)

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

FAQs

What is the correct way to say that targets had a deadline?

The correct phrasing is "Targets "were due"", as "targets" is plural and requires the plural verb "were."

What can I say instead of "targets was due"?

Use phrases such as "targets "were expected"", "targets "were scheduled"", or "targets "had a deadline"" to convey the intended meaning correctly.

Which is correct, "targets was due" or "targets were due"?

"Targets "were due"" is the grammatically correct option. The plural subject "targets" requires the plural verb form "were."

How can I avoid making mistakes with subject-verb agreement when discussing multiple targets?

Always ensure that plural subjects (like "targets") are paired with plural verb forms (like "were"). Double-checking your sentence structure can prevent these common errors.

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Most frequent sentences: