were not arrived

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "were not arrived" is not correct in standard written English.
It is not usable as it stands, as the correct form would typically be "had not arrived" or "did not arrive." Example: "The package had not arrived by the time I left for work."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

KSTAR PFC (Plasma Facing Component) and VV (Vacuum Vessel) were not arrived at the target temperatures in bake-out phase, which are 300 °C and 110 °C, respectively.

Fusion Engineering and Design

Thus for pragmatism, truths about the world were not arrived at by the criterion of coherence but by a method through which verifiable empirical hypotheses were confirmed in experimental practice.

SEP

Kant began by emphasizing a general connection between property and agency, maintaining that there would be an affront to agency and thus to human personality, if some system were not arrived at which could permit useful objects to be used.

SEP

As the Pali and Sanskrit texts of the Vinaya division of the Buddhist canon make clear, the norms of Buddhist monastic life were not arrived at in an a priori or purely rational fashion, but rather in situated response to tensions arising within the early monastic community and in its interactions with the rest of society.

SEP

As such the diagnoses were not arrived at by applying preset diagnostic criteria but by using the working clinical diagnoses reached during the management of the patients, and will reflect the uncertainty inherent in clinical practice.

Critical Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Fuel deliveries were not arriving at many gas stations in Alexandria.

The New York Times

But the autumn migrants which I thought most interesting last week were not arriving to stay, they were just passing through.

Independent

Down the coastal road in a small fishing town called Boca de Uchire, hundreds gathered on a bridge this month to protest because the food deliveries were not arriving.

The New York Times

It wasn't read quickly because it wasn't painted quickly, and the relationships didn't reveal themselves easily because they weren't arrived at easily.

Yale University

Sports fandom is not arrived at rationally.

The New York Times - Sports

The prime minister's relaxed appearance is not arrived at easily, according to the biography.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the correct past tense or past perfect form of "arrive" based on the context. "Did not arrive" is generally suitable for simple past events, while "had not arrived" indicates completion before another point in the past.

Common error

Be careful not to use "were" with "arrived" in a way that suggests a passive voice without a proper subject performing the action. Always ensure it's clear who or what did not arrive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "were not arrived" functions as a verb phrase aiming to describe the state of something or someone failing to reach a destination or expected location. However, as Ludwig AI points out, it is grammatically incorrect in standard English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "were not arrived" appears in some contexts, it is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. Ludwig AI confirms this assessment. More appropriate alternatives such as "did not arrive" or "had not arrived" should be used to maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity. The rare occurrence of this phrase suggests it should be avoided in formal writing to ensure effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

did not arrive

Replaces the passive construction with a simple past tense negative form.

had not arrived

Uses the past perfect to indicate arrival before a specific time.

did not show up

Emphasizes the absence of someone or something expected.

had not turned up

More informal; indicates an unexpected failure to appear.

were not present

Focuses on the absence of something at a location.

never came

Highlights that something or someone failed to materialize.

failed to arrive

Formal way of saying that something didn't happen.

were missing

Indicates an absence, with potential implications of being lost.

were not delivered

Applies specifically to items expected to be delivered.

did not materialize

Implies that something was planned or expected but never happened.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "were not arrived"?

The correct way to phrase this is typically "did not arrive" or "had not arrived", depending on the intended tense and context.

When should I use "did not arrive" versus "had not arrived"?

"Did not arrive" is used for simple past tense, while "had not arrived" is used for past perfect, indicating an action completed before another point in the past.

What are some alternative phrases to "were not arrived" that sound more natural?

More natural alternatives include "did not show up", "failed to arrive", or "were missing", depending on the context.

Is "were not arrived" ever grammatically correct?

In most standard English contexts, "were not arrived" is grammatically incorrect. It's better to use active voice constructions like "did not arrive" or passive constructions such as "were not delivered" when the subject is being acted upon.