told impressed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "told impressed" is not correct and does not make sense in written English.
It seems to be an incomplete expression and lacks clarity in meaning. Example: "She told me she was impressed by the presentation."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In the end he is pleased with the way his tale has been told, impressed by the inventiveness of the masked performers and the puppeteers.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

He was, the Ex-Girlfriend, told me, impressed by my largesse in offering her shelter in her time of need.

The Guardian - Sport

My interviewer, I can tell, is impressed.

The Guardian - Books

"A river, where I can be alone," I tell her, impressed with my poeticism.

The New Yorker

"'A river, where I can be alone,'" I tell her, impressed with my own poeticism.

Independent

Father Marino tells how impressed the food professionals were a few days earlier, when Mario cooked at a James Beard Foundation dinner at Maxim's.

The New Yorker

But others demand tens of thousands of dollars to oversee the entire application process — tutoring jittery applicants on what classes to take in high school or musical instruments to play, the better, their families are told, to impress the admissions dean.

The New York Times

Zwick, impressed, told Herskovitz, "It's done.

The New Yorker

(The two were, Connolly told English, "quite impressed with one another").

The New Yorker

The article I wrote about it, Wall told me later, impressed her.

The New York Times - Magazine

(He had taken one of the expensive volunteer trips to Africa that we were told should not impress us).

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing, ensure that the verb "told" is followed by a complete clause, such as "told me that they were impressed" rather than directly followed by an adjective like "impressed".

Common error

Avoid using "told" directly with adjectives. Instead, use a complete sentence structure to properly convey the intended meaning. For example, instead of saying "told impressed", say "told me they were impressed".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "told impressed" functions incorrectly as it attempts to directly link the verb "told" with an adjective. Ludwig AI flags this as grammatically incorrect, indicating that "told" requires a complete clause following it to be grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "told impressed" is flagged as grammatically incorrect by Ludwig AI. It's a non-standard construction where the verb "told" is incorrectly followed directly by an adjective. To correctly convey the intended meaning—that someone communicated their feeling of being impressed—use phrases such as "said they were impressed" or "told me they were impressed". While examples exist, especially in News & Media, prioritizing correct grammar ensures clarity and professionalism in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Said they were impressed

Explicitly states that someone said they were impressed, rephrasing the structure.

Mentioned being impressed

Replaces "told" with "mentioned", softening the statement and focusing on the state of being impressed.

Reported feeling impressed

Replaces "told" with "reported", framing the expression as a report of feelings.

Expressed admiration

Focuses on the act of expressing admiration, omitting the intermediary "told".

Indicated their admiration

Uses "indicated" instead of "told", suggesting a less direct communication of admiration.

Conveyed their awe

Replaces "impressed" with "awe", suggesting a stronger feeling, and focuses on conveying it.

Communicated their positive impression

Replaces "told impressed" with a more formal expression of communicating a positive impression.

Remarked with admiration

Highlights the act of remarking something with admiration, changing the structure.

Let on that they were impressed

Uses the idiom "let on", meaning to reveal something, in this case, being impressed.

Made known their impressed state

Rephrases the sentence to focus on making known the state of being impressed.

FAQs

How can I properly use "told" to express someone's impression?

You should follow "told" with a complete clause. For instance, instead of saying something like "told impressed", which is incorrect, use "told me they were impressed" or "told him she was amazed".

What are some alternatives to saying someone was "told impressed"?

Instead of "told impressed", consider using phrases like "said they were impressed", "mentioned being amazed", or "expressed their admiration" to convey the same meaning with correct grammar.

Is it grammatically correct to say someone was "told impressed"?

No, "told impressed" is grammatically incorrect. The word "told" needs to be followed by a clause, not an adjective. A correct version would be "told that they were amazed".

What's the difference between saying someone "told impressed" and "said they were impressed"?

Saying someone "told impressed" is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to express this is to use a phrase like "said they were impressed" or "mentioned that they felt amazed", which provides the necessary grammatical structure.