Exactly three years had passed since I'd last seen/I last saw her

[EngLearner]

1. Jane stood right in front of me. Exactly three years had passed since I'd last seen her.
2. Jane stood right in front of me. Exactly three years had passed since I last saw her.

I wrote the sentences above. I can use either version. They're both correct, right?

 

[emsr2d2]

I wrote the sentences above. I can use either version. They're both correct, right?

Is the underlined sentence a statement or was it meant to be part of a question?

 

[EngLearner]

Is the underlined sentence a statement or was it meant to be part of a question?

It was part of the question.

 

[emsr2d2]

Why don't you use this opportunity to turn "I can use either sentence. They're both correct, right?" into a grammatically correct question?

 

[EngLearner]

Sure. I meant this:

1. Jane stood right in front of me. Exactly three years had passed since I'd last seen her.
2. Jane stood right in front of me. Exactly three years had passed since I last saw her.

I wrote the sentences above. Can I use either sentence, and are they both correct?

 

[emsr2d2]

You'll hear both. However, technically, sentence 2 should use "Jane stands" and "have passed" in order for "saw her" to be correct.

 

[jutfrank]

Why don't you ask which one is better? Or which one we suggest you use?

 

[EngLearner]

Which one would you suggest I use?

 

[jutfrank]

The past perfect. Why didn't you ask that in the first place?

 

[emsr2d2]

Which one would you suggest I use?

I suggest you use the one that fits the context you're writing about. If Jane is standing in front of you (or you want to use the historical present), use the one I explained in post #6. If the whole thing happened in the past and you don't want to use the historical present, use sentence #1.

 

[EngLearner]

Why didn't you ask that in the first place?

I don't know, but I agree that I should have asked.