not to be seen vs was not seen

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Not to be seen' is used to indicate something should not be visible or noticed, while 'was not seen' is used to describe something that did not come into someone's sight in the past.

Last updated: April 14, 2024 • 202 views

not to be seen

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to indicate that something should not be visible or noticed by someone.

Examples:

The secret documents are not to be seen by anyone outside the company.
The hidden treasure is not to be seen by the public.
The surprise gift is not to be seen until her birthday.
The magic trick is not to be seen by the audience.
The confidential report is not to be seen by unauthorized personnel.

Show examples from the web [+]

How not to be seen: the contribution of similarity and selective ignoring to sustained inattentional blindness. Psychol Sci. 2001 Jan;12(1):9-17. doi: ...
Dec 14, 2017 ... how not to be seen – how to avoid outfits or circumstances in which you do not want to be seen. But it's rather ambiguous and perhaps it's ...
Many translated example sentences containing "not to be seen" – English-Dutch dictionary and search engine for English translations.

Alternatives:

should not be seen
must not be seen
is not supposed to be seen
is not meant to be seen
is not to be revealed

was not seen

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to describe something that did not come into someone's sight in the past.

Examples:

The cat was not seen in the garden yesterday.
The missing keys were not seen anywhere in the house.
The suspect was not seen near the crime scene.
The rare bird was not seen by the birdwatchers.
The ghost was not seen by anyone in the haunted house.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jul 11, 2023 ... Larry Nassar was stabbed in his cell and the attack was not seen by prison cameras, AP source says. FILE - Disgraced former sports doctor ...
Aug 31, 2022 ... Banned BYU fan was not seen yelling racial slurs at Duke volleyball player, police say · BYU officer said he didn't hear slurs during Duke ...
The Ninth Amendment was James Madison's attempt to ensure that the Bill of Rights was not seen as granting to the people of the United States only the ...
Feb 9, 2018 ... STPMJ: 'In Korea, architecture was not seen as a profession that synthesises cultural, social and environmental aspects' · 01. · 06. · 02. · 07.
No, Luke Bryan was not seen eating in Enid and Scarlett Johansson is not moving to Oklahoma City but aliens are being held at Woodring Airport.
May 4, 2022 ... A woman whose baby died after sustaining severe brain damage during labour was not seen by an obstetrician during her pregnancy, an inquest ...
May 18, 2023 ... In the last 50 years, there is only one year, 1998, when the February average was not seen again from April 1. Five more years are added, ...

Alternatives:

did not see
was not noticed
was not observed
was not visible
was not detected

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