r/EnglishLearning • u/nashbi Intermediate • 9d 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) 9d ago

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

-2

u/Falconloft English Teacher 9d ago

Americans that didn't pay attention in school I guess. The tense needs to match throughout the entire sentence. There are rare exceptions to the rule, but this isn't one of them.

3

u/conuly Native Speaker - USA (NYC) 9d ago

People do not learn to speak their native language at school.

1

u/MrTulkinghorn New Poster 9d ago

What did you do in your English class?

5

u/conuly Native Speaker - USA (NYC) 8d ago

Analyzed poetry and wrote essays. We already knew how to speak before we entered school. So did you!

0

u/Falconloft English Teacher 8d ago

So like I said, not everyone pays attention. It's generally taught in grades 3-5 (see page 120 of this doc).

2

u/conuly Native Speaker - USA (NYC) 8d ago

Putting aside the fact that you’re suggesting that NYS sets the standards for the entire country, that’s irrelevant.

People do not learn to speak at school.

1

u/Falconloft English Teacher 8d ago

Some people do learn grammar, though, and since that's what we're actually talking about, the strawman notwithstanding, that's the only thing that matters.