had signed a petition

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had signed a petition" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that someone completed the action of signing a petition at some point in the past, often before another past event. Example: "By the time the meeting started, she had signed a petition advocating for environmental protection."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

A sixth of the population of 72,000 had signed a petition calling for the inquiry.

The Economist

By late Tuesday afternoon, about 300,000 people had signed a petition urging him to prove it.

The New York Times

As of Monday, nearly 350,000 people had signed a petition calling for Disney and Marvel to rehire the director.

The Guardian - Film

As of today, 66 faculty members had signed a petition objecting to his candidacy that had been sent to Schmidly.

The New York Times - Sports

Ten others, all of whom had signed a petition in January condemning the government's brutal crackdown on Kurds, were fired.

The Guardian

The meeting was called because 35 mosque members had signed a petition demanding that Ms. Nomani be expelled.

The New York Times

Soon, half of this city's 34,000 residents had signed a petition opposing the $3.6 billion project.

The New York Times

On Tuesday, change.org said more than 2,700 Brooklynites had signed a petition asking the authority to install shuttle bus service along the affected routes.

The New York Times

More than 100,000 people had signed a petition to President Vladimir V. Putin, a city native, urging him to scrap the plan.

The New York Times

The Supreme Court sided with them, and kept private the names of people who had signed a petition to get the referendum on the ballot.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

Yesterday evening more than 500,000 people had signed a petition calling for it to be overturned.

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To provide context, follow the phrase with details about the petition's purpose and the number of signatories, emphasizing the level of public engagement.

Common error

Avoid using "had signed a petition" interchangeably with phrases like "had started a petition". The former indicates support, while the latter indicates initiation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had signed a petition" functions as a past perfect verb phrase, indicating an action (signing a petition) completed before a specific point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and usable nature in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

84%

Academia

5%

Wiki

2%

Less common in

Formal & Business

1%

Science

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had signed a petition" is a grammatically sound and commonly used phrase that effectively conveys past support for a cause. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage. It is most frequently encountered in neutral contexts, particularly within news and media reporting, although also used in academic sources. When using this phrase, ensure it accurately reflects the timeline of events and clearly communicates the intent of supporting a specific cause. Consider alternatives like "had endorsed a petition" or "had supported a petition" to add nuance. Be careful to avoid confusion with phrases that indicate initiating a petition rather than supporting it.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had endorsed a petition

Replaces "signed" with "endorsed", emphasizing active support rather than just formal agreement.

had supported a petition

Uses "supported" instead of "signed", highlighting the act of giving backing to the petition.

had joined a petition

Substitutes "signed" with "joined", focusing on the act of becoming a participant in the petition.

had added their name to a petition

More descriptive, specifying the action of adding one's name as a form of agreement.

had formally backed a petition

Replaces "signed" with "formally backed", highlighting a more official or public show of support.

had registered support for a petition

Uses "registered support" instead of "signed", suggesting a more documented or official endorsement.

had given their assent to a petition

Replaces "signed" with "given their assent", implying formal approval or agreement.

had put their signature on a petition

More literal and descriptive, emphasizing the physical act of signing.

had subscribed to a petition

Replaces "signed" with "subscribed", suggesting agreement or adherence to the petition's cause.

had added their voice to a petition

Figurative language, implying that signing the petition adds to the collective opinion.

FAQs

What does "had signed a petition" mean?

It means that someone formally added their name to a document expressing support for a specific cause or request at some point in the past.

What can I say instead of "had signed a petition"?

You can use alternatives like "had endorsed a petition", "had supported a petition", or "had joined a petition" depending on the context.

Is "had signed a petition" grammatically correct?

Yes, "had signed a petition" is grammatically correct. It uses the past perfect tense correctly to indicate an action completed before another point in time.

What is the difference between "had signed a petition" and "signed a petition"?

"Had signed a petition" indicates that the signing occurred before a specific time or event in the past, while "signed a petition" simply states that the action of signing took place at some unspecified time in the past.