they were not working

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of a sentence "they were not working" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to express that someone was not performing some sort of task or job. For example, "The employees were not working, so the manager took away their laptops."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"In particular, we are interested in what they were doing when they were not working, where they ate, slept and spent non-working hours.

Stanford University

They were not working.

The Guardian

They were not working as a team.

The New York Times - Sports

Asked why they were not working, they exchanged smirks.

The New York Times

Miss Meeusen's parents however did not enjoy those either, because they were not working in Belgium.

Columbia University

Brennan said that Russian protests that they were not working with WikiLeaks and WikiLeaks protests that they were not working with the Russians were both "disingenuous".

The Guardian

The cameras not been repaired, even though the traffic police knew they were not working.

The New York Times

Almost immediately, confusion surfaced: they were not working from a common map.

The New York Times

The seven officers also are accused of lying about working overtime when they were not working.

The Washington Post

There were disputes within the FSA and they were not working as one against the enemy.

The Guardian

"His legs seemed like they were not working, like something was broken".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider stronger verbs to replace "working" for more specific meaning; for example, "they were not collaborating" or "they were not functioning" may be more precise.

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by ensuring that the pronoun "they" has a clear and immediate antecedent in your writing. If the reference is distant, rephrase to specify the individuals or entities.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they were not working" primarily functions as a statement indicating a lack of activity or operation. As Ludwig AI explains, it expresses that a group was not performing a task or job. The phrase commonly appears in contexts where expected work or functionality is absent.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

25%

Science

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "they were not working" is a common and grammatically sound expression used to indicate the absence of work or activity. As Ludwig AI points out, it directly states that someone was not performing a task or job. Analysis of numerous examples reveals its frequent occurrence in News & Media, Academia, and Scientific contexts. While versatile, clarity is key; ensure the referent of "they" is unmistakable. Consider replacing "working" with more descriptive verbs for increased precision. In summary, this phrase is a reliable and widely understood way to communicate a lack of work or functionality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they were inactive

Replaces "working" with a general term for lack of activity.

they were idle

Suggests a state of inactivity or unemployment.

they were not functioning

Focuses on the inability to perform a specific task or role.

they were out of order

Specifies a temporary state of being non-operational, often related to machines or systems.

they were not cooperating

Indicates a lack of teamwork or collaboration.

they were off duty

Describes a state of being free from work responsibilities.

they weren't on the job

Informal way of saying they were not at their place of work or performing their duties.

they weren't in operation

Indicates that a system or process was not running.

they weren't collaborating

Highlights the absence of joint effort or teamwork.

they were not in service

Indicates that equipment or personnel were unavailable for use.

FAQs

How can I use "they were not working" in a sentence?

This phrase indicates an absence of activity or effort. For example, "The cameras were not working, so the crime went unrecorded."

What are some alternatives to saying "they were not working"?

You could use "they were inactive", "they were idle", or "they were not functioning" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "they wasn't working" instead of "they were not working"?

No, "they wasn't working" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "they were not working" because "they" is a plural pronoun and requires the plural form of the verb "to be".

What is the difference between "they were not working" and "they did not work"?

"They were not working" usually implies a continuous state or a specific period when work was expected but not happening. "They did not work" is a more general statement about a lack of work at any time.