while he was employed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "while he was employed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate actions or situations that occurred during the time someone was working at a job or position. Example: "While he was employed at the company, he developed several key projects that improved efficiency."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

32 human-written examples

While he was employed there, he began to write for the local newspapers.

Britannica

His first three books were published while he was employed at Moe's in Berkeley.

The New York Times - Books

Gurfinkel began driving for uberX while he was employed full-time as a "fulfillment and project manager" by a company called ADL Embedded Solutions.

Harvard University

Stuart's comments on Twitter, which were made in January 2017 while he was employed in his current post, directly contradict Corbyn.

The Times

Born in Sverdlovsk, in the Ural Mountains he works in bronze, wood, stone - almost any material He learned metalworking while he was employed in a factory.

The New Yorker

Mr Cameron said they discussed the hacking allegations while he was employed but he never had reason to doubt "the assurances he had given me and I accepted".

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

28 human-written examples

Rich, 35, has put his schooling on hold for a while; he is employed by FOCUS as a consultant, and through that job works as a veteran coordinator for Hungry Mother, and on the farm and at its farm stand.

Los Angeles Times

shall be liable in damages to any person suffering injury while he is employed by such carrier..

Cornell University

The prime minister said a company had been hired to run a "basic background check" on Mr Coulson before he was employed while the Conservatives were in Opposition.

BBC

In 1989, Unwin Hyman published his second book, Livingstone's Labour: A Programme for the 90s, in which he expressed his views on a variety of issues, while that same year he was employed to promote Red Leicester cheese in adverts for the National Dairy Council and to appear in adverts for British Coal alongside Edwina Currie.

Wikipedia

Id. [934 S.W.2d 753] However, we held that "it cannot be said that [the defendant,] as a person of ordinary intelligence and prudence, should have anticipated that [the plaintiff] would sustain an injury by wrenching his back while performing the very job he was employed to do, i.e., the placement of sand on the oil spill". Id.

Harvard University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "while he was employed", ensure the context clearly establishes who 'he' refers to, especially if multiple individuals are mentioned in the same sentence.

Common error

Avoid shifting tenses within the same clause. For example, instead of 'While he was employed, he starts a new project', use 'While he was employed, he started a new project' to maintain consistent past tense.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "while he was employed" functions as an adverbial phrase, specifically introducing a subordinate clause that provides context about when something occurred. Ludwig examples confirm this is a grammatically correct and commonly used structure.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

20%

Encyclopedias

8%

Less common in

Wiki

7%

Science

7%

Formal & Business

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "while he was employed" is a grammatically correct and commonly used adverbial phrase to indicate that an action or event occurred during a period of employment. As per Ludwig, its primary function is to establish a temporal relationship. It maintains a neutral register suitable for various contexts including news, academic writing, and general communication. While alternative phrases like "during his employment" exist for a more formal tone, "while he was employed" provides a clear and effective way to specify when something happened in relation to someone's job.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

during his employment

A more formal and direct substitute.

while in his position

Emphasizes the role the person held at the time.

when he was working at

Specifies the timeframe with a focus on active work.

during his tenure

Focuses on the period of time someone held a position.

during his time working there

Highlights the act of working at a specific location.

whilst under their employment

A more formal alternative using 'whilst'.

as an employee

Focuses on the person's status as an employee.

in his role at the company

Highlights the specific duties and responsibilities.

in his capacity as an employee

More formal, emphasizing the official role.

during his service at

Emphasizes a period of service or contribution.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "while he was employed" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, you can use phrases such as "during his employment" or "in his capacity as an employee". These alternatives provide a more professional and sophisticated expression.

What's a simpler way to say "while he was employed"?

A simpler alternative could be "when he worked at" or "during his time working there". These options are more straightforward and less formal.

Is there a difference between "during his employment" and "while he was employed"?

The phrases are largely interchangeable, but "during his employment" often suggests a broader, more general reference to the entire period, whereas ""while he was employed"" tends to introduce a specific action or event that occurred within that period.

Can I use "while he was employed" to refer to a past job?

Yes, ""while he was employed"" is perfectly suitable for referring to actions or events that occurred during a past job. It clearly indicates that the described situation existed during a specific employment period.