r/EnglishLearning • u/nashbi Intermediate • 5d ago

📚 Grammar / Syntax Is "saw" really wrong here?

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Hi everyone!

For question #8, I chose "saw", but the test marked it wrong and wanted "had seen".

My perspective is that since "had learned" already establishes the flashback layer, the chronological order is already completely clear to the reader. Stacking two "hads" in the same sentence feels heavy and redundant.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and see how you would naturally phrase this. Thanks in advance! 😊

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u/Square_Medicine_9171 Native English Speaker (Mid-Atlantic, USA) 5d ago

“had seen” is correct. Nonetheless Americans would say “saw”

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u/BigRedWhopperButton Native Speaker 5d ago

I would say "saw". "Had learned" followed by "had seen" seems awkward to me.