C1Englishen.c1.006

Needn't have done vs didn't need to

Structure:

needn't have + past participle / didn't need to + base verb

Needn't have done = the action happened but was unnecessary. Didn't need to = it was unnecessary (action may or may not have happened).

Example:

You needn't have bought all that food — we already had plenty.

Examples

You needn't have bought all that food — we already had plenty.

Question 1 of 20 correct

Which grammar pattern does this sentence use? "You needn't have bought all that food — we already had plenty."

Absolute construction (nominative absolute)

Absolute construction: All things considered

Absolute construction: The matter having been settled

Advanced affixation: noun and adjective suffixes

Advanced affixation: productive prefixes