they responded that

USAGE SUMMARY

"they responded that" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when introducing a statement or reply made by someone in response to a question or comment. For example: "I asked them what they thought of my presentation and they responded that it was very informative."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

For food insufficiency, we considered a respondent to have experienced the event if they responded that they had experienced food shortages 'somewhat often' or 'very often.' The combined adverse events scores ranged from 0 to 4. Because of the small number of respondents who had experienced all four events we combined this group with those who had experienced three events.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

But they responded that they would not respond.

The New York Times

"They responded that they think the law is adequate".

The New Yorker

"But they responded that the army does not compensate anyone.

The Guardian

Rather, they responded that maybe next time he'd think twice about protesting.

University of California, Berkeley

They responded that they could in about an hour for 2,500 pesos, or about $60.

The New York Times

They responded that they did not like the pop lab quizzes, but that they found the discussion quizzes really helpful.

University of California, Berkeley

Asked what they were doing, they responded that they were just admiring the lady.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

3 human-written examples

When other kids try to intimidate them, they respond: "That's supposed to be scary?

The New York Times - Magazine

When you ask that the office be notified, they respond that they can't.

The New York Times - Travel

When asked, they respond that they assume there would be a greater increase in happiness after spending money on themselves and after spending greater amounts of money4.

Nature

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Vary your sentence structure by occasionally using alternatives like "their response was that" to avoid repetition and maintain reader engagement.

Common error

Avoid using "they responded that" when the subject "they" is unclear or ambiguous in the context. Always ensure that the reader can easily identify who "they" refers to.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they responded that" functions as a reporting clause. It introduces information that a group of people provided in response to a question or prompt. It is used to convey information and attribute it to a specific group, as shown in the examples provided by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

54%

Science

34%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

2%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "they responded that" is a versatile phrase used to report information conveyed by a group. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and prevalence across various domains, including news, science, and academia. When employing this phrase, ensure clarity in pronoun reference and consider stylistic variations to avoid repetition. Remember to adapt the level of formality to suit the context, making your communication precise and effective.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they answered that

Replaces "responded" with "answered", offering a slightly more direct synonym.

they replied that

Substitutes "responded" with "replied", indicating a formal answer.

they stated that

Uses "stated" instead of "responded", implying a formal declaration.

their response was that

Restructures the sentence to emphasize the response itself.

they indicated that

Replaces "responded" with "indicated", suggesting a less direct communication.

they told us that

Uses "told us" to specify that the response was directed to the speaker or a group including the speaker.

they communicated that

Replaces "responded" with "communicated", referring to any form of message.

they mentioned that

Uses "mentioned" suggesting the response was brief or incidental.

according to them

Indicates indirect reporting of the response without explicit use of a verb like "responded".

as they explained

Focuses on the act of explaining in their response, rather than a simple answer.

FAQs

What does "they responded that" mean?

The phrase "they responded that" introduces a statement or answer that a group of people ("they") gave in response to a question, request, or comment. It's used to report what they said or communicated.

What can I say instead of "they responded that"?

You can use alternatives like "they answered that", "they replied that", or "their response was that" depending on the context and desired level of formality.

Is "they responded that" formal or informal?

The phrase "they responded that" is generally considered neutral and appropriate for both formal and informal contexts. However, in very formal writing, more precise alternatives might be preferred.

How do I use "they responded that" in a sentence?

You typically follow "they responded that" with a clause that contains the information they conveyed. For example, "When asked about the budget cuts, they responded that the impact would be minimal."