was responded

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "was responded" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct form would typically be "was responded to" when indicating that a response was given to something. Example: "The inquiry was responded to promptly by the customer service team."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

This was responded to very generally.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

PM says here was a request for assistance and that was responded to.

The Guardian

An encore was responded to by a performance of one of Raff's popular violin pieces.

The Guardian - Music

But then he added: "In a sense that's how I was responded to out here.

The New York Times - Arts

"I wish every letter we sent out was responded to the way Westport's was," Ms. Younger said.

The New York Times

(Separately, a medical emergency was responded to promptly, and the passenger was taken safely from the train).

The New York Times - Travel

The bass frequency was responded to by also "seeing" the signal playing on the Winamp player which shows the current frequency being played.

Cornell University

Data were obtained by mean of a questionnaire which was responded by 59 teachers and 316 pupils from two Swiss high schools.

Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations

Since the electrical resistivity was responded well quantitatively with various parameters, such as matrix modulus, the fiber surface modification, the electrical resistivity measurement can be a feasible method of nondestructive sensing evaluation for conductive fiber reinforced composites inherently.

Composites Part B: Engineering

Last week, a poll on piracy from Hank Green, the brother of the bestselling novelist John Green, was responded to by more than 35,000 people.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

He was responding to demand, he explained.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "was responded". Instead, use grammatically correct alternatives such as "was responded to", "received a response", or "was answered" to ensure clarity and accuracy in your writing.

Common error

A common mistake is using the passive voice incorrectly, like saying "was responded" instead of "was responded to". Always ensure that passive constructions include the necessary prepositions to maintain grammatical correctness and clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "was responded" functions as part of a passive construction, where an action is done to the subject. However, it is grammatically incomplete. As Ludwig AI points out, this phrase requires the preposition "to" to be grammatically correct, hence the corrected version should be "was responded to".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

33%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "was responded" appears frequently across various sources, Ludwig AI indicates that it's grammatically incorrect in standard English. The correct form is "was responded to". Its high occurrence does not equate to correctness. It's crucial to use alternatives such as "received a response" or "was answered" to ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity in writing. Despite being common in news, science, and wiki sources, the phrase should be avoided in formal contexts due to its grammatical shortcomings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

received a response

Emphasizes the act of getting a response rather than the action of responding. Rephrasing it using 'received'.

was answered

Focuses on providing an answer, differing from a broader response.

was replied to

Highlights the act of replying specifically, implying a direct communication exchange.

was addressed

Suggests that a specific issue or question was handled.

was acknowledged

Indicates that something was recognized or noticed, not necessarily with a full answer.

was acted upon

Implies that some action was taken as a result of something.

elicited a response

Shifts the focus to the cause of the response rather than the response itself.

prompted a reaction

Emphasizes the reactive nature of the response.

drew a response

Focuses on the action of attracting or pulling a response.

met with a response

Highlights the encounter or interaction that led to a response.

FAQs

Why is "was responded" considered grammatically incorrect?

In English, the verb "respond" typically requires a preposition, such as "to", when used in the passive voice. Therefore, the correct phrasing is "was responded to". Omitting the preposition results in a grammatically incomplete sentence.

What are some alternatives to "was responded to"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases such as "received a response", "was answered", "was replied to", or "was acknowledged".

How can I ensure I'm using the correct passive voice construction?

Always double-check that passive voice constructions include the necessary prepositions. For example, instead of "the question was answered", ensure it reads "the question was answered by him" or another appropriate prepositional phrase is added.

Is there any situation where "was responded" is acceptable?

No, "was responded" is generally not considered acceptable in standard written English. It's always best to use a grammatically correct alternative such as "was responded to" or another suitable phrase to maintain clarity and correctness.