I didn't have to type / needn't have typed, but I did it.

[peptidoglycan]

I ................my essay, because the teacher accepts handwritten assignments. But I did it anyway,

A) didn't have to type
B) needn't have typed
C) Both A and B are correct

needn't have done is used to express that something was done although it was not necessary. didn't have to do is used to express that it was not necessary to do that whether it was done or not.

I think both A and B are correct. But I am not sure about whether B is OK semantically. Thanks.

 

[MuttQuad]

Both correct. Both satisfactory usage.

 

[Sohag]

I think they're both right, but I prefer A.

 

[RM1(SS)]

Both are correct, but I would be much more likely to use A. (B sounds more like BE, to me.)

 

[DonnyB]

Both (A) and (B) are correct and idiomatic in BE usage.

 

[Forero]

For this context, only A fits. "I needn't have typed my essay" means something like "It was of no use for me to type my essay", which is not the same thing as "I didn't have to type my essay."

 

[Parla]

Both A and B are correct, and both are idiomatic in AE usage.

 

[Parla]

Both A and B are correct, and both are idiomatic in AE usage. ("I needn't have typed my essay" = There was no need for me to type my essay.)