The phrase "acknowledging the former" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring back to a previously mentioned subject or point in a discussion or text.
Example: "In our previous meeting, we discussed several key issues, and I want to start by acknowledging the former points raised."
Alternatives: "recognizing the earlier" or "noting the previous".
Second, such studies made apparent an important distinction between motherhood and fatherhood, acknowledging the former condition as inherently recognizable and the latter as less obvious.
Other Republicans, while acknowledging the former president's political smarts, said the invitation was a commentary on the current state of Democratic thinking.
Many foreign leaders have paid homage to Allende's father while on trips to Chile, acknowledging the former president's role in laying the foundation for relationships throughout the world.
Signed by Ranieri in 2001, for £11m, from West Ham, he wants everyone to acknowledge the former Valencia manager's part in turning Chelsea into one of England's top sides.
Avoiding a potentially ugly scene, the Cleveland Browns will honor a request by Art Modell's family and not acknowledge the former owner's death before Sunday's season opener.
We wish to acknowledge the former contribution of Lorenzo Casertano, Oliveri del Castillo and Maria Teresa Quagliariello, who, in an early paper published on Nature in 1976, first discussed the importance of fluids in the dynamics of Campi Flegrei Caldera.
Yesterday's incidents were an illustration of the central problem facing Feith and the Albanian majority government in Pristina - the refusal of Kosovo's Serb minority and the Belgrade government to acknowledge the former province's sovereignty.
Without so much as raising his voice or arching an eyebrow, Manning acknowledged the former running back Tiki Barber's comments that Manning was "uncomfortable" with leadership and he shot right back at Barber.
Just as cricket lovers think of Mark Taylor every time they reach for the air-conditioning remote, I'd like to think that footy fans now ritualistically acknowledge the former West Coast premiership star every time they part the curtains and start a new day.
Other political leaders also acknowledged the former South African leader's contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.
There is good reason, in his discussions that follow, to believe that he intends that any comprehensive account of the aesthetic would acknowledge the former, and not just – as a good number of philosophical accounts have so restricted themselves – the latter.
