they were responded

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "they were responded" is not correct in English.
The correct form would be "they were responded to." You can use the corrected phrase when indicating that a response was given to a group of people or entities. Example: "After the meeting, they were responded to with a detailed email outlining the next steps."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Then, ads and promoted tweets started getting more prominence, and the 'reply' mechanic started mucking around with the chronology of the timeline, bumping up old tweets when they were responded to.

TechCrunch

The product probes, unlike in the matching task, were not included in the ANOVA because they were responded to with a different response key with respect to other probes.

Biological Psychology

Product probes were not included in the ANOVA because, unlike the number-matching task, in the arithmetic-verification task they were responded to with a different response key with respect to other probes.

Biological Psychology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

They were responding to public will.

The New York Times

"They were responding to immediate pressure.

The New York Times

They were responding to orders; I am a free soul".

The New York Times

If they were going forward you knew they were responding.

The Guardian - Sport

They were responding to an insult with murder.

The New Yorker

The Georgians say they were responding to a Russian provocation.

The New York Times

The soldiers said they were responding to hostile fire.

The New York Times

No, they were responding to a false alarm.

The New York Times - Style

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct passive form "they were responded to" or, preferably, rephrase with a more direct and active construction like "they received a response" for clarity and grammatical accuracy.

Common error

Avoid omitting the preposition "to" after "responded" in passive constructions. Saying "they were responded" is grammatically incorrect. Instead, ensure you use "they were responded to" or rephrase for better clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they were responded" functions incorrectly as a passive construction. It attempts to indicate that a response was given to a group, but it fails grammatically. Ludwig AI identifies this phrase as incorrect.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

67%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "they were responded" is grammatically incorrect. As indicated by Ludwig, the correct passive construction is "they were responded to", although active constructions such as "they received a response" are often clearer and preferred. The frequency of the incorrect phrase is rare, and its usage is discouraged in formal writing. Remember to include the preposition "to" or opt for a more direct phrasing to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they received a response

This alternative replaces the passive voice construction with a more direct and grammatically sound phrasing.

they were replied to

Alternative using "replied" maintaining a passive structure and correcting the grammar.

a response was given to them

This maintains the passive voice but corrects the grammatical structure.

they were answered

This alternative uses a different verb with a similar meaning but in a grammatically correct passive construction.

responses were provided to them

This highlights that there were multiple answers given.

they got a reply

Uses more informal vocabulary but keeps the same meaning.

answers were given to them

Uses a more direct word for response and keeps the passive construction.

they heard back

Informal way to say they received an answer.

their query was addressed

Changes the focus to the query itself, implying a response was provided.

someone responded to them

Shifts the focus to the actor providing the response, rather than the recipients.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "they were responded"?

The grammatically correct way to express this idea is "they were responded to" or, more naturally, "they received a response". The original phrase is missing the necessary preposition.

Is "they were responded" grammatically correct?

No, "they were responded" is not grammatically correct. The correct phrasing requires the preposition "to", making it "they were responded to". A more natural way to phrase it is "they received a response".

What can I say instead of "they were responded to"?

You can use alternatives like "they received a response", "they were answered", or "they got a reply" depending on the context.

What's the difference between "they were responded" and "they were responded to"?

"They were responded" is grammatically incorrect. "They were responded to" is the correct passive construction, but phrases like "they received a response" are often clearer and more direct.