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Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
had earlier submitted
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "had earlier submitted" is correct and usable in written English.
It is used when referring to something that has been submitted or completed in the past. For example, "The student had earlier submitted his essay but wanted to make changes before submitting it again."
✓ Grammatically correct
News & Media
Wiki
Science
Alternative expressions(20)
had already submitted
submitted previously
previously filed
submitted beforehand
had submitted in the past
submitted at an earlier date
had lodged earlier
earlier filed
had earlier issued
had earlier transmitted
had earlier suggested
had previously submitted
had earlier implemented
had earlier admitted
had earlier distributed
had earlier presented
had earlier applications
had earlier committed
had earlier testified
had initially submitted
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
4 human-written examples
Banco Popular, Puerto Rico's largest bank, had earlier submitted a bid to Banco Credito for $25 million.
News & Media
Mark Klein, a former AT&T technician, had earlier submitted the documents as part of a lawsuit against AT&T by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
News & Media
JAL had earlier submitted its own draft reconstruction plan, which included cuts of 6,800 jobs, or about 14percentt of its workers, but it failed to get a passing mark from Mr. Maehara.
News & Media
The South African Police Service had earlier submitted a complaint to ICASA that this footage would incite violence against police officers.
Wiki
Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources
Similar Expressions
56 human-written examples
Kahn had already thought deeply about the proper design for a library, having earlier submitted proposals for a new library at Washington University.
Wiki
The hits came from an analysis of prints that had earlier been submitted to a database maintained by the state of California, which local police agencies traditionally used without results.
News & Media
Cubic's Automatic Revenue Collection Group, which filed the lawsuit, earlier had submitted the low bid for the initial phase of a hotly contested contract that could grow in value to an estimated $480 million.
News & Media
Ms. Atwood said the manuscript that she had submitted two years earlier had been lost, an event that reflected McClelland & Stewart's erratic reputation for efficiency.
News & Media
In remarks that reflected a detailed statement that she had submitted earlier to the committee, Ms. Richardson, a California Democrat in an uphill fight to retain a seat in the House, said that she had never told staff members that they would have to work for her campaign office or lose their government jobs.
News & Media
That happened to Cornell University on Wednesday: It sent welcoming letters to 1,700 high school students who had submitted early-decision applications, including nearly 550 who had already been rejected in December.
News & Media
Earlier, Wilshire had submitted the allegations to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, John Lyon, but it was clear during the day that his efforts to defer the issue would not satisfy the Tory high command.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
Use "had earlier submitted" to show the order of events in the past in a professional and easily understandable way.
Common error
Avoid using "had earlier submitted" if the sequence of events isn't clear. Ensure that the reader can easily understand which action happened before the other; otherwise, consider rephrasing for clarity.
Source & Trust
87%
Authority and reliability
4.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The phrase "had earlier submitted" functions as a past perfect construction, indicating an action of submitting that was completed before another point in time in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage for denoting precedence.
Frequent in
News & Media
50%
Wiki
25%
Science
25%
Less common in
Encyclopedias
0%
Formal & Business
0%
Academia
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, the phrase "had earlier submitted" is a grammatically sound past perfect construction used to indicate that an action of submission occurred prior to another event in the past. As Ludwig AI confirms, this is a correct phrase. While it appears most frequently in news and media contexts, it can also be found in wiki and scientific sources. Alternatives include "previously submitted" or "had already submitted", depending on the desired emphasis. Ensure that the timeline is clear to avoid confusion. This phrase isn't super common, so use it carefully in the right context!
More alternative expressions(6)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
had already submitted
Adds emphasis with "already", highlighting the completion of the action prior to the current context.
submitted previously
Omits "earlier", focusing on the prior submission but removing the specific temporal reference.
previously filed
Replaces "submitted" with "filed", implying a more formal or official submission.
submitted beforehand
Substitutes "earlier" with "beforehand", emphasizing the action's occurrence before a specific point in time.
had submitted in the past
Expands the timeframe using "in the past" instead of "earlier", making it less precise.
submitted at an earlier date
Replaces "earlier" with a more formal phrase, indicating a specific point in the past.
had lodged earlier
Replaces "submitted" with "lodged", which is more common in British English and implies a formal submission.
earlier filed
This shortens the sentence and it's less specific in some contexts.
had tendered earlier
Replaces "submitted" with "tendered", which is more common in contexts like bidding or proposals.
had turned in before
Uses a more casual term "turned in" for "submitted", affecting formality.
FAQs
How can I use "had earlier submitted" in a sentence?
You can use "had earlier submitted" to indicate that an action of submitting something happened before another action or a specific time in the past. For example, "The company "had earlier submitted" its proposal, but later revised it based on feedback."
What is a more formal alternative to "had earlier submitted"?
A more formal alternative would be "had previously submitted" or "had submitted at an earlier date". These options maintain a professional tone while indicating the prior submission.
Is there a difference between "had earlier submitted" and "had already submitted"?
"Had already submitted" emphasizes the completion of the action, while "had earlier submitted" focuses on the timing of the submission in relation to another event. The first puts emphasis on something being finished, while the second refers to two subsequent things.
What can I say instead of "had earlier submitted" in a less formal context?
In a less formal context, you could say "submitted before" or "turned in earlier". For example, "They "had earlier submitted" the application, but it was incomplete" could become "They submitted the application before, but it was incomplete".
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Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
87%
Authority and reliability
4.5/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested