had previously exchanged

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had previously exchanged" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that an exchange occurred at an earlier time before another event or action. Example: "They had previously exchanged ideas during the conference, which laid the groundwork for their collaboration."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

1905 Nobel Laureate Philipp Lenard, who had previously exchanged flattering letters with Einstein, had since become bitter about the Jews and jealous of the popular publicity Einstein's theory was receiving.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

And then we activated our rail passes, having previously exchanged the vouchers at a special office at Tokyo Station, and for the next week we zipped around the island of Honshu, obeying the universal rail pass imperative of making it pay by traveling as much as possible.

The New York Times - Travel

Starting at the end of October, consumers who have previously exchanged 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel will be able to download, at no cost, one NES™ game of their choice valued at 500 Wii Points from Virtual Console™.

TechCrunch

The neighbour Access node checks whether the packet came from its neighbour Leaders node or from any malicious node by common identifier that has previously exchanged, then it sends the Route Request message to its Leader Node, this Leader Node verifies the Leader node details and include its details in that packet and forwards the original packet until it reaches the destination.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

While those agreements did not expressly call for a standstill between the two companies, they did prohibit Martin Marietta from using information that had been previously exchanged between the companies to decide, formulate and sell its offer and proxy challenge, he wrote.

The New York Times

Authorities had previously said Dzhokhar exchanged gunfire with them for more than an hour on Friday night before they captured him inside a boat covered by a tarpaulin in a suburban Boston neighbourhood backyard.

The Guardian

They are unable to accept items that have been previously exchanged or multiple returns.

The Guardian - Money

This option works even if you haven't previously exchanged friend codes with that player.

WikiHow

The militants were said to have trusted him because he had previously arranged the exchange of Russian and rebel bodies.

The New York Times

It said it would step up QE to $85 billion a month, of which $45 billion would be Treasuries that it had previously bought in exchange for shorter-term paper.

The Economist

MacPhee, who was friends with both Marriott and Melvin, had admitted to lying under oath before, and had previously testified in exchange for a deal.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had previously exchanged" to clearly establish that an exchange took place before another event being discussed, ensuring chronological clarity in your writing. It is useful when detailing past interactions or transactions.

Common error

Avoid using "had previously exchanged" when the simple past tense suffices. For example, instead of "They had previously exchanged gifts before the party occurred", consider "They exchanged gifts before the party."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had previously exchanged" functions as a past perfect verb phrase, indicating a completed action that occurred before another action or point in time in the past. It sets up a chronological relationship between two past events. Ludwig AI confirms this usage through its examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

57%

Science

36%

Formal & Business

4%

Less common in

Wiki

1%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had previously exchanged" functions as a past perfect verb phrase used to indicate that an exchange took place before a specific point in the past. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is considered grammatically correct and suitable for use in various contexts, particularly in news and scientific writing. While it can be replaced by simpler past tense constructions in some instances, the past perfect form adds clarity when establishing chronological order. It is important to avoid redundancy by not using it when the simple past tense adequately conveys the meaning. Common contexts include News & Media and Science. Authoritative sources include The New York Times and The Guardian.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had formerly swapped

Emphasizes the act of swapping something at an earlier time.

had earlier traded

Highlights the trading aspect, indicating an exchange of items or ideas before a certain point.

had communicated before

Focuses on the communication aspect of the exchange, implying prior contact.

had interacted previously

Highlights the interaction between parties, suggesting a prior relationship or contact.

had once shared

Suggests a sharing of something, whether it be information or experiences, at some point in the past.

had at one time bartered

Specifically refers to bartering, indicating a direct exchange of goods or services.

had engaged in prior correspondence

Emphasizes written communication that happened earlier.

had been in contact before

A general way to say they communicated in any way before.

had swapped in the past

Focuses on swapping and specifies that it happened sometime earlier.

had done business earlier

Highlights that some commercial interaction had occurred before.

FAQs

How can I use "had previously exchanged" in a sentence?

The phrase "had previously exchanged" is used to indicate that an exchange took place at an earlier time. For example: "The two leaders had previously exchanged letters, which paved the way for the peace treaty."

What are some alternatives to "had previously exchanged"?

You can use alternatives like "had formerly swapped", "had earlier traded", or "had communicated before" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "exchanged previously" instead of "had previously exchanged"?

While "exchanged previously" isn't grammatically incorrect, "had previously exchanged" is more precise in establishing the sequence of events, especially when discussing past actions in relation to another past event. "Exchanged previously" might be better suited to a more casual style.

What's the difference between "had previously exchanged" and "exchanged"?

"Exchanged" implies a simple past action. "Had previously exchanged" indicates the action occurred before another point in the past. The past perfect construction clarifies the chronology of events.