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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
was display
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "was display" is not correct in English.
It seems to be a grammatical error, possibly intended to convey "was displayed" or "was a display." Example: "The artwork was display in the gallery for all to see."
⚠ May contain grammatical issues
News & Media
Science
Encyclopedias
Alternative expressions(2)
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
10 human-written examples
Yahoo did not specify how much of that was fueled by search, which makes up a chunk of Yahoo's revenues, and how much was display.
News & Media
Nor was display of the heart prominent; there was not much touching, Michaelis notices, in family photographs or in Schulz's memory.
News & Media
All it did was display the glowing red Droid eye.
News & Media
The biggest growth area was display advertising on social networks, which grew by nearly 200%.
News & Media
Only 178 million was mobile search, and $140 million was display (both up 80percentt last year).
News & Media
"It was display and search that printed money," Swartz says.
News & Media
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
50 human-written examples
A.38 revolver was displayed.
News & Media
Brezhnev was displaying his forte, cadres.
Encyclopedias
In the end, his picture was displayed.
News & Media
A gleaming model was displayed.
News & Media
That was displayed only fleetingly.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
When aiming to describe something that was visually presented, use the past passive form "was displayed" or active constructions like "featured a display of" for grammatical correctness.
Common error
Avoid using "display" directly after "was" without the past participle ending (-ed). The correct form to indicate something shown in the past is "was displayed".
Source & Trust
81%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "was display" attempts to function as a verb phrase, indicating a state of being shown. However, this is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI shows, the correct form is "was displayed".
Frequent in
News & Media
50%
Science
40%
Encyclopedias
10%
Less common in
Formal & Business
0%
Wiki
0%
Reference
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, the phrase "was display" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "was displayed", which is used to indicate that something was shown or exhibited. Ludwig AI analysis suggests that while the phrase appears across various contexts, primarily in news, science, and encyclopedias, it should be avoided in favor of grammatically correct alternatives. As Ludwig AI indicates, using alternatives like "was displayed", "featured a display of", or "included a display of" ensures clarity and correctness in writing.
More alternative expressions(6)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
was displayed
Changes the phrase to the past passive form, indicating something was shown.
featured a display of
Rephrases to indicate something included a visual presentation.
included a display of
Similar to 'featured a display of', but with a slightly different emphasis.
showcased a display of
Suggests highlighting a visual presentation.
exhibited a display of
Uses a more formal verb to indicate a public showing.
presented a display of
Indicates a formal presentation or showing.
was an exhibit of
Uses "exhibit" to refer to the display.
acted as a display
Rephrases the sentence in a more abstract form.
functioned as a display
Emphasizes the role or function of something as a display.
served as a display
Similar to 'functioned as a display', focusing on the serving purpose.
FAQs
How can I correctly use "was display" in a sentence?
The phrase "was display" is grammatically incorrect. A correct alternative is "was displayed", indicating something was shown. For example, "The artwork "was displayed" in the gallery."
What's a more appropriate way to say "was display"?
Instead of "was display", use "was displayed" to convey that something was shown. Alternatively, you could use phrases like "featured a display of" or "included a display of" depending on the context.
Is there a difference between "was display" and "was displayed"?
"Was display" is grammatically incorrect. "Was displayed" is the correct past passive form, indicating that something was shown or exhibited.
How do I decide between "was displayed" and "featured a display of"?
Use "was displayed" when you want to simply state that something was shown. Use "featured a display of" when you want to emphasize that something included or highlighted a visual presentation.
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
81%
Authority and reliability
2.8/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested