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Discover LudwigSuggestions(5)
"needed to have been" is correct and usable in written English.
This construction is used to talk about something that was expected or necessary in the past, but didn't happen. Here is an example: "I needed to have been more careful when I was making the cake."
Exact(49)
But he would have needed to have been a tape recorder to get these conversations right.
This is not to say Ledgard needed to have been quite so indulgent of himself.
It needed to have been a fully political campaign from the start.
The guidelines would have been followed, if they needed to have been".
To qualify for inclusion, prose poems needed to have been previously published as poetry.
I don't think you necessarily needed to have been six years old to appreciate this, though I was.
Similar(11)
To be a refugee you need to have been persecuted".
They need to have been cultivated under stringent conditions.
I guess to really get it you need to have been to a certain place.
"To remain attached to your university, you need to have been connected to some group.
They need to have been married for at least three months to qualify.
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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