they were decided to

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence "they were decided to" is not correct and not usable in written English.
To use the sentence correctly, you should use the phrase "they decided to". For example: They decided to go to the beach for a picnic.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Academia

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Rep. 174; in other words, they were decided to be the contracts of the township, and that the acts which authorized their issue constituted their obligation.

Cornell University

In the United States Constitution, black people were fractionalized - i.e., they were decided to be only 3/5 of a human being.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

This means that they had to think back approximately 13 years to the time when they were deciding to apply for medical school and try to remember their reasons at that time.

BMC Medical Education

They are deciding to shape up at home.

The New York Times

It's in the forefront of people's minds when they're deciding to leave".

The New York Times

So they're deciding to go after conventional consumers at a lower price point".

The New York Times

"They are deciding to push the country toward a broad civil war".

The New York Times

Tyson officials "believe they have an out, and they're deciding to use it," Ms. Mehring said.

The New York Times

"I mean, they're going through the same transition, whether they are deciding to wear the veil or whether they are painting their hair pink".

The New York Times

But increasingly, as more young adults move to new cities to make new lives, they are deciding to celebrate the family-oriented holiday of Thanksgiving with friends.

The Guardian - Opinion

And given the difficulty of developing a game for three different platforms, they are deciding to drop support for Linux.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and grammatical correctness, substitute the phrase "they were decided to" with the active voice construction "they decided to".

Common error

Avoid constructing sentences using "they were decided to" as it often leads to awkward phrasing. Instead, actively state who made the decision and what the decision was. For example, prefer "the committee decided to allocate funds" over a convoluted passive construction.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they were decided to" functions as part of a verb phrase, but it is grammatically incorrect and results in an awkward sentence structure. Ludwig AI suggests using more direct and grammatically correct alternatives.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

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News & Media

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "they were decided to" is grammatically incorrect and rarely used in contemporary English. According to Ludwig AI, it's best to avoid this phrase and opt for more direct and grammatically correct alternatives such as ""they decided to"". While some examples might appear in older texts, modern usage favors clarity and correctness. Prioritize active voice and clear phrasing to ensure your message is effectively communicated.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they decided to

Removes passive voice construction, resulting in a grammatically sound sentence.

it was decided that they should

Employs a passive construction with 'it was decided', adding formality but increasing sentence length.

a decision was made for them to

Shifts focus to the decision-making process, specifying someone else made the decision.

the determination was that they would

Replaces 'decided' with 'determination', indicating a more formal and resolute decision.

they resolved to

Uses 'resolved' to emphasize a firm decision or commitment.

they opted to

Replaces 'decided' with 'opted', suggesting a choice between several options.

they elected to

Replaces 'decided' with 'elected', implying a formal selection or vote.

they chose to

Uses 'chose' to highlight the element of personal selection.

it was their decision to

Focuses on the act of deciding rather than on the finality.

the consensus was for them to

Highlights a collective decision instead of individual resolve.

FAQs

How can I correct the phrase "they were decided to"?

The phrase "they were decided to" is grammatically incorrect. A correct alternative is to use the active voice: "they decided to".

What is a more formal way to say "they decided to"?

While "they decided to" is perfectly acceptable in most contexts, you could use a more formal phrasing such as "it was decided that they should".

Is "they were decided to" ever correct?

In very rare cases, "they were decided to" might appear in legal or historical texts, but it's generally best to avoid it in modern English. Using "they decided to" is clearer and more grammatically sound.

What's the difference between "they decided to" and "it was decided that they would"?

"They decided to" indicates direct action and decision-making by the subject. "It was decided that they would" implies a more passive role, where the decision was made by an external entity.