had once submitted

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had once submitted" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that a submission occurred at some point in the past, typically in a context where the timing or the fact of the submission is relevant to the current discussion. Example: "She had once submitted her application to the program, but she decided to withdraw it later."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

There Jews were free to practice their faith openly, though any Jew who had once submitted to Islam courted death if he relapsed to Judaism.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Occasionally an interpretation falters, as when Hayman squeezes much meaning out of a single cryptic remark by Jung, in a letter to Freud, that he had once "submitted" to an older man.

The New York Times - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Second, fertile countries are both more desirable than barren countries and easier to conquer: they "are always of a level surface, where the inhabitants are unable to dispute against a stronger power; they are then obliged to submit; and when they have once submitted, the spirit of liberty cannot return; the wealth of the country is a pledge of their fidelity" (SL 18.2).

SEP

I have once again submitted an assisted dying bill to the ballot because we cannot continue to deny terminally ill people the dignity and choice they are entitled to at the end of their life.

The Guardian - Opinion

He and his party, the MPLA, have only once submitted to a proper nationwide election, and that was 12 years ago.

The Economist

Once submitted, shoppers have to be approved before they are allowed to log in and schedule a time to see the merchandise at the showroom.

Forbes

You can select to either view the PIN immediately once submitted, or have the PIN emailed to you.

WikiHow

Any other ways you've put to use an application essay, once submitted?

The New York Times

Asked how many cervical cancer reports they had submitted in the previous year, four of the districts coordinators reported to have submitted in all the quarters, one had only submitted twice and two districts once.

Global Health Action

Once submitted you are done, congratulations!

WikiHow

Olson et al [37] also found that there was no evidence that study publication bias occurred once manuscripts had been submitted to a medical journal.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To further emphasize that the submission was a one-time event, consider using phrases like "had only once submitted".

Common error

Avoid using "had once submitted" when the context requires a simple past tense ("submitted") or present perfect tense ("has submitted"). Make sure the past perfect tense is appropriate to show that the submission occurred before another point in time.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had once submitted" functions as a past perfect verb phrase. It indicates that an action (submitting) was completed at some point in the past before another action or time. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically sound and usable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

16%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had once submitted" is a grammatically correct past perfect construction used to indicate that an action of submitting occurred at some point in the past, before another specified time. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and usefulness. It is more common in neutral to formal contexts like news articles and scientific papers. While "had previously submitted" and "had formerly submitted" can serve as alternatives, it's important to maintain accuracy in tense and context. A key takeaway is to use this phrase when emphasizing the timing of a past submission relative to another event.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had previously submitted

Replaces "once" with "previously", indicating a submission at an earlier time.

had formerly submitted

Uses "formerly" instead of "once" to suggest a submission in the past.

had at one time submitted

Adds "at one time" for emphasis, highlighting that the submission happened in the past but not necessarily recently.

had in the past submitted

Rephrases "once" as "in the past", focusing on the past nature of the submission.

once submitted

Omits "had", creating a simpler past tense construction.

had already submitted

Focuses on the completion of the submission action at an earlier time.

had submitted in the past

Similar to "had in the past submitted", but slightly more concise.

submitted previously

Reorders the words for a slightly different emphasis.

had submitted before

Uses "before" to indicate a prior submission.

had submitted on a prior occasion

Formal rephrasing emphasizing a specific previous instance of submission.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "had once submitted" to sound more formal?

You can use more formal alternatives like "had previously submitted" or "had formerly submitted" to convey a similar meaning with increased formality.

Is it correct to say "has once submitted" instead of "had once submitted"?

No, "has once submitted" uses the present perfect tense, which indicates an action completed at an unspecified time before now. "Had once submitted" uses the past perfect, indicating an action completed before another point in the past.

What's the difference between "had once submitted" and "submitted"?

"Had once submitted" (past perfect) emphasizes that the submission occurred before a specific point in the past. "Submitted" (simple past) simply states that the action happened in the past without reference to another time.

When should I use "had only once submitted" instead of "had once submitted"?

Use "had only once submitted" to emphasize that the submission occurred a single time and no more. This highlights the uniqueness or infrequency of the action compared to "had once submitted", which simply acknowledges that a submission occurred at some point.