unfortunately sentence

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unfortunately sentence" is not correct and usable in written English. It lacks clarity and proper grammatical structure. An example could be: "Unfortunately, the sentence was unclear." Alternative expressions could be "regrettably" or "sadly."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Unfortunately, sentences like this are common: "Distinctions tend to be made in how heavily weighted growth is in the assertion of value and in the conservatism with which future estimates are made, but avowed value investors typically resist being labeled as unconcerned with growth in asserting a company's intrinsic value".

The New York Times

A few pages from the end of the book, Bishop writes (in a notably wooden but unfortunately typical sentence) that "it's wishful thinking to predict that a Generation Y L.B.J. will emerge to become... some kind of Web-based 'deus ex MySpace' politician who could forge a national consensus out of our disparate communities".

The New York Times - Books

But unfortunately, the sentence selection has unable to achieve sufficient attention from the researchers and only restricted in a limited number of approaches.

International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education

Unfortunately, two sentences into the speech, the host is shot in the neck by a guest.

The New Yorker

"The popularly elected president of Egypt, chosen with 52% of the vote, has unfortunately been sentenced to death," Erdoğan said at a rally in Istanbul, to howls of protest from the crowd.

The Guardian

Unfortunately, only one sentence can survive.

The New York Times

In an essay, J. Bryan Lowder, a columnist at Slate, urged against a prison sentence: "Unfortunately, we can't lock the bully up, because the bully is in all of us".

The New York Times

Judge Persky's light sentence unfortunately lends support to the view that sexual assault--especially when alcohol is a factor--isn't that significant an offense.

Huffington Post

Unfortunately, a few sentences were interrupted.

Vice

Unfortunately, the disproportionate sentencing that Robson and many other writers receive has glamorized prison for younger generations.

Vice

"Unfortunately, no length of sentence will reflect the loss to our family as our father was a much-loved dad and grandad who is missed and will never be forgotten".

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the adjective form "unfortunate" if you intend to modify the noun "sentence" directly.

Common error

Writers sometimes place the adverb "unfortunately" immediately before "sentence" without a comma or a verb (e.g. "it was an unfortunately sentence"), which confuses the reader. You must either use the adjective "unfortunate" or separate the adverb with punctuation.

Linguistic Context

In its raw form, ""unfortunately sentence"" functions as a fragmented adverbial-noun pair. According to Ludwig AI, this construction fails to meet standard English syntax because adverbs typically modify verbs or whole clauses rather than acting as direct modifiers for nouns without further grammatical context.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Professional & Business

5%

Legal

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The search for ""unfortunately sentence"" typically reflects a need to describe a regrettable statement or a judicial outcome. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, the contiguous phrase itself is grammatically incorrect. In reliable sources like The New York Times and The Guardian, these words only appear together when properly separated by a comma (e.g. "unfortunately, the sentence...") or when "sentence" is being used as a verb (e.g. "unfortunately sentenced to death"). To ensure clarity in your writing, you should use the adjective form "unfortunate sentence" when modifying the noun directly, or use "regrettably" as a formal alternative.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unfortunate sentence

Uses the adjective form to correctly modify the noun directly

unfortunately, the sentence

Adds necessary punctuation and an article to create a valid adverbial phrase

regrettably, the sentence

Replaces the adverb with a formal synonym to maintain the tone

the sentence is unfortunate

Restructures the thought into a complete predicate statement

sadly, the sentence

Offers a slightly more emotive but equally valid adverbial start

poorly phrased sentence

Specifies the nature of why the sentence might be considered unfortunate

regrettable phrasing

Focuses on the manner of expression rather than the linguistic unit

clumsy sentence

Provides a more descriptive adjective for a poorly constructed sentence

ill-fated sentence

Uses a more dramatic idiomatic adjective to describe the statement

unlucky choice of words

Expands the scope from a single sentence to the broader vocabulary used

FAQs

Is "unfortunately sentence" grammatically correct?

No, the phrase ""unfortunately sentence"" is grammatically incomplete. According to Ludwig AI, it lacks proper structure. You should use "unfortunate sentence" or "unfortunately, the sentence" instead.

What is the difference between "unfortunately" and "unfortunate"?

"unfortunately" is an adverb used to modify a whole clause, while "unfortunate" is an adjective used to describe a noun like a person or a sentence.

How do I use "unfortunately" at the beginning of a sentence?

When starting with "unfortunately", always place a comma immediately after it to indicate it modifies the entire following statement, for example: "unfortunately, it is true".

Can I say "unfortunate sentence" in a formal report?

Yes, "unfortunate sentence" is a professional way to describe a statement that was ill-advised or poorly phrased.