It took more time than I had thought. vs It took more time than I thought.

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'It took more time than I had thought' implies that the speaker had a specific expectation in the past that was exceeded, while 'It took more time than I thought' simply states that the speaker's initial estimation was incorrect.

Last updated: April 07, 2024 • 536 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"It took more time than I had thought."

This phrase is used when referring to a past expectation that was surpassed. It indicates that the speaker had a particular thought or assumption about the time required, which turned out to be insufficient.

Examples:

The project took more time than I had thought, so we had to postpone the deadline.
The journey took more time than I had thought, and I missed my connecting flight.

Show examples from the web [+]

It took more time than I had thought.
It took more time than I care to admit, but I finally managed to solve the riddle of how our friend died.
To be honest, it took me more time to face the logistical problems of recording in Abbey Road than the making of the album itself.
It took us more time than usual to come to the end of this celebration.
When I met Uwe Bretschneider in person at the European Triode Festival in 2007, I bought some wood bodies for Denon 103 direct from his hands, but it took some more time to try them out.
It was possible to do it with analog photography too, but it took much more time to get the color perfect and the light right.
It didn't take us a long time to play it or technically producing it rather than the fact that it took us more time to clarify to ourselves musically and emotionally the things we wanted to say.
For example, with the last thing you said, by the time you explained it, it actually took up more time.
It took me a little more time than usually to fall asleep.
Quality Of Products & Services: 4 stars out of 5 View More thomas roman (14-Dec-2017) Took Cialis 10mg for the first time last month and since then I took it few more times, occasionally.
As a result, unemployed workers had to find jobs in new industries, which took more time and training.
Everyone took more time than I had planned for... to try and comfort me and make me feel better about my dad.
In this test, the AMD A8-3850 took more time than the other processors to convert the file to MP4.
They liked to have their bikes in good shape, but getting new plastics was, back then, a huge challenge and took more time than they were willing to wait.
That's why we took more time to get the best out of everyone's singing and playing.Back in the days, some of your songs got a massive radio play.
Whereas Maier - on behalf of the National Library - submitted a positive opinion on the study in August 1977, the Swiss Department of the Interior (EDI) took more time.
Took more time and manpower than we had expected.
Comunicating the moves between the two adversaries, through the psychic's automatic writing, also took more time than expected.
It took time, but eventually these conversations planted seeds of doubt in me.
It took time to open, and kept it with him.
It took time for me to find my power.

Alternatives:

It took longer than I had anticipated.
It took more time than I had expected.
It took more time than I had imagined.
It took more time than I had planned.
It took more time than I had predicted.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"It took more time than I thought."

This phrase is used to express that the speaker's initial estimation of the time required was incorrect. It does not necessarily imply a specific past expectation that was exceeded.

Examples:

The repair took more time than I thought, but it was worth it in the end.
The movie lasted longer than I thought, and I ended up enjoying it.

Show examples from the web [+]

It took more time than I thought.
It took more time than I care to admit, but I finally managed to solve the riddle of how our friend died.
To be honest, it took me more time to face the logistical problems of recording in Abbey Road than the making of the album itself.
It took us more time than usual to come to the end of this celebration.
When I met Uwe Bretschneider in person at the European Triode Festival in 2007, I bought some wood bodies for Denon 103 direct from his hands, but it took some more time to try them out.
It was possible to do it with analog photography too, but it took much more time to get the color perfect and the light right.
It didn't take us a long time to play it or technically producing it rather than the fact that it took us more time to clarify to ourselves musically and emotionally the things we wanted to say.
For example, with the last thing you said, by the time you explained it, it actually took up more time.
It took me a little more time than usually to fall asleep.
Quality Of Products & Services: 4 stars out of 5 View More thomas roman (14-Dec-2017) Took Cialis 10mg for the first time last month and since then I took it few more times, occasionally.
As a result, unemployed workers had to find jobs in new industries, which took more time and training.
Everyone took more time than I had planned for... to try and comfort me and make me feel better about my dad.
In this test, the AMD A8-3850 took more time than the other processors to convert the file to MP4.
They liked to have their bikes in good shape, but getting new plastics was, back then, a huge challenge and took more time than they were willing to wait.
That's why we took more time to get the best out of everyone's singing and playing.Back in the days, some of your songs got a massive radio play.
Whereas Maier - on behalf of the National Library - submitted a positive opinion on the study in August 1977, the Swiss Department of the Interior (EDI) took more time.
Took more time and manpower than we had expected.
Comunicating the moves between the two adversaries, through the psychic's automatic writing, also took more time than expected.
It took time, but eventually these conversations planted seeds of doubt in me.
It took time to open, and kept it with him.
It took time for me to find my power.

Alternatives:

It took longer than I thought.
It took more time than I expected.
It took more time than I anticipated.
It took more time than I imagined.
It took more time than I had planned.

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It took more time than I had thought. vs It took more time than I thought.