"it was a stressful ordeal" vs "the ordeal was stressful"

Question

"it was a stressful ordeal" vs "the ordeal was stressful"

Both phrases are correct and convey the same meaning. They are interchangeable and can be used depending on the writer's preference or the context of the sentence.

Last Updated: March 17, 2024

This phrase starts with the pronoun 'it' as the subject, followed by 'was' as the verb, and 'a stressful ordeal' as the noun phrase describing 'it.'

Examples:

It was a stressful ordeal, but we learned a lot from it.
For her, it was a stressful ordeal to speak in public.

Alternatives:

It was a challenging experience.
It was a difficult situation.
It was a tough challenge.
It was a trying event.
It was a demanding task.

This phrase follows a subject-verb-object structure, where 'the ordeal' is the subject, 'was' is the verb, and 'stressful' is the adjective describing the ordeal.

Examples:

The ordeal was stressful, but we managed to get through it.
She found the ordeal stressful and overwhelming.

Alternatives:

The experience was stressful.
The situation was stressful.
The challenge was stressful.
The event was stressful.
The task was stressful.

Answer 1

it was a stressful ordeal

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

Answer 2

the ordeal was stressful

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"it was a stressful ordeal" vs "the ordeal was stressful"

it was a stressful ordeal

the ordeal was stressful

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