Questions about Past Perfect tense
2
votes
1answer
103 views
Is past perfect tense a must when reporting 2 things happened at different time in the past?
Is the word "had" necessary in the following text?
This is a retrospective study covering the period from 2001 to 2010. Prospectively collected data of 500 consecutive patients who (had) received ...
2
votes
2answers
95 views
Past Perfect question forms with 'before' etc
A part of an entry about Past Perfect (424.1) in Swan's Practical English Usage 3rd Ed states that the past perfect is not necessary in the cases where we use conjunctions (e.g. after, as soon as) and ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
“I been” or “I’ve been”?
In the famous song Every Breath You Take by The Police, Sting sings:
Since you've gone I been lost without a trace…
I admit that I am not some expert in English Grammar, but this "I been" ...
-1
votes
2answers
236 views
she had been working / she had worked
I'm really curious what difference do native speakers conceive in these two sentences:
(She joined our firm ten years ago.)
She had worked for the previous five years with an advertising company. ...
0
votes
1answer
79 views
Using Past Perfect after an event
While reading a book, I came across some sentences that used past-perfect "after" an event had taken place. Actually, I've seen many books do this, so this must be the grammatically correct way, but ...
-1
votes
1answer
98 views
“Had decided to call” vs.“had decided that we should call”
I have a question regarding using "had decided". I'm not sure if I can use either an infinitive form of a verb or a modal verb:
We had decided to call each other when we are in danger.
We had ...
-2
votes
2answers
1k views
When do we use “had had” and “have had”? [duplicate]
I have seen several sentences in English where some writers have written had twice in a row. I am a bit confused about when the grammar calls for using had had.
For example:
I had had my car ...
1
vote
2answers
70 views
Present and past perfect dilemma
This sentence is giving me trouble:
For several days I (have/had) not had the chance to see her until a
few hours ago.
I think had is correct because the time reference is a few hours ago, ...
-1
votes
1answer
126 views
Simple past vs past perfect [duplicate]
Simple past and past perfect are so confusing...
Please tell me if any of the sentences below make (or makes?) sense:
1) She had already opened the package before I had the chance to tell her not ...
0
votes
1answer
99 views
Reported Speech Tense Choice [closed]
Which of the followings sentences would be the best choice?
The victim explained how he became addicted five years ago...
His addiction is so bad that he is unable to keep a steady ...
0
votes
2answers
150 views
Past perfect sentence construction
This is an example sentence demonstrating the usage of past perfect:
I checked with the supplier and they still hadn't received the contract.
In this case the timeline rule works out as it ...
2
votes
4answers
137 views
Is “On January 17th our team had represented” correct English?
My team recently posted a status update,
On January 17th, our team had represented [organization name] at [place].
Though I am unable to explain why (I have never formally learned tenses), I am ...
0
votes
1answer
260 views
“Had spent” vs. “has spent” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
where should we use has/have been and had been?
[Company] had spent previous years a few blocks away from the new location.
This sentence uses "had spent", but to ...
0
votes
2answers
184 views
“Had been engaged when they married” vs. “were married” vs. “had married”
Which of the sentences below are grammatically correct?
The couple had been engaged for five years when they married.
The couple had been engaged for five years when they were married.
The ...
1
vote
1answer
249 views
How to write past perfect forms of two verbs in one sentence
(1) Alex had quit his job and started a company before he won the lottery.
(2) Alex had quit his job and had started a company before he won the lottery.
I want to indicate that the act of ...
0
votes
1answer
997 views
When to use 'had been' + past participle of the verb
I read the sentence below in a news article:
"The couple had been engaged since the summer," her spokeswoman said in a statement.
Why was "had been engaged" used in this sentence. Is it wrong to ...
1
vote
1answer
194 views
Past vs Past Perfect
While writing a paper for my English class, I couldn't decided whether past or past perfect tense was needed. It's basically about how a guy whose house is destroyed because the government wants to ...
-1
votes
2answers
261 views
Simple past vs. past perfect
Which is correct to use in the following example, simple past or past perfect?
We were completely in the dark after the wind blew the candle out.
We were completely in the dark after the wind ...
1
vote
1answer
206 views
When not to use past perfect?
In a recent question: Past perfect or past simple in combination with present perfect? the asker presented three options.
I have examined the document you gave me and...
I have examined the ...
-1
votes
2answers
452 views
Usage of had in past tense
Being a non native speaker of English I am not sure about the usage of had. In my academics I have learned that had is only used to show that something happened prior to some event in the past ...
1
vote
3answers
222 views
Past perfect or past simple in combination with present perfect?
Suppose I received a document from my colleague, studied it and then gave him feedback in a letter. How should I construct the following sentense?
I have examined the document you gave me and...
...
1
vote
1answer
130 views
How to understand perfect tense? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
I have a difficult time to understand perfect tense.
I don't see the different for the following two ...
-1
votes
1answer
344 views
Replacing past perfect tense with past tense
For had fallen in a when-clause, can the past perfect tense be replaced with the past tense?
Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only
one taught by a ghost. ...
7
votes
4answers
299 views
Usage of 'had been' or 'were'
I was doing an exercise. I completed the sentence as following.
If you were my child, I would have demanded that such an irresponsible teacher be fired.
But the answer given in the book is ...
2
votes
5answers
406 views
“I knew him for…” or “I had known him for…”?
I'm writing a short story, and I'm unsure about the right tense to use. The first two sentences are:
I knew Mr. Brown for exactly 15 minutes. He had met me at the
entrance and was now ...
1
vote
1answer
353 views
“At this time yesterday, I had gone” vs. “by this time yesterday, I had gone”
At this time yesterday, I was going to work. [Past Continuous]
I am very sure that the above sentence is 100% correct. (Reference: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastcontinuous.html.)
But I ...
-1
votes
1answer
341 views
“was” vs. “had been” [closed]
At the end of "Fear is the Key," Alistair MacLean wrote
And so it had been with my red rose, before it had turned to white.
When I tried to recall that line, though, what I got was
And so it ...
0
votes
2answers
423 views
Past Perfect sentences with “before”
I had seen a documentary on the Whydah before we visited it in Providence.
Sir Francis Drake had worked for the British Navy before he became a pirate.
These two sentences seem quite awkward to ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Ending verbs with 'nt' in the past tense [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When do you use “learnt” and when “learned”?
It was my understanding that ending verbs with "t" / "nt" in the perfect tense was merely to accommodate irregular verbs
...
0
votes
3answers
138 views
“We had entered” vs “we entered” [closed]
I am not sure whether we can use two different instances of had in the following sentence:
When we had entered the ground, the circus had already begun.
According to my understanding, it ...
2
votes
3answers
396 views
Participle as verbal adjective
I came across the following:
As he had been deceived by his friends he lost all hope.
He was deceived by his friends and so he lost all hope.
Deceived by his friends, he lost all hope.
...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
using had had in a sentence [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What does “had had” mean? How does this differ from “had”?
I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely had done any work
or
I ...
3
votes
5answers
154 views
Right tense for conditional event in nondescript time?
What is the right tense to describe an event that might have occured, be occuring or occur in the future, if (not) for something that happened in the past?
Unike, in the examples, which anchor the ...
-4
votes
2answers
228 views
“His hopes had not materialized”/“have not materialized”/“have not been materialized”
Which one is preferable in following sentence?
His hopes of getting through the I.A.S. had not materialized till today's date.
His hopes of getting through the I.A.S. have not materialized ...
3
votes
3answers
237 views
Correct tense for events which happend long time ago but still have direct connection with present time
Suppose that a man disappeared twenty years ago and I haven't had a notice about him since then. What should I say to my interlocutor if I want to tell him about this story?
You know, Harry has ...
3
votes
2answers
199 views
Perfect tenses in conditionals
Why does one sometimes use the perfect tense in conditions of the first type? Say,
I will do something if you have done something.
I did something when he had done something.
instead of,
...
-1
votes
1answer
407 views
Past Perfect and gerund vs. Past Perfect and Simple Past [closed]
When using the past perfect tense to say something happened before something else, is it correct to use the gerund form (as opposed to the past tense) to express the latter event? For example, is it ...
1
vote
3answers
339 views
past perfect tense with the conjunction “and”
Among those on his right was Bob, the guy that had days earlier started the lease and so began the first...
OR
Among those on his right was Bob, the guy that had days earlier started the ...
2
votes
3answers
478 views
“I had thought there was” Vs. “I thought there was”
What's the difference between these sentences:
I had thought there was something wrong with the tape recorder.
I thought there was something wrong with the tape recorder.
Would it be more ...
2
votes
2answers
300 views
Past perfect sentence in “I would have killed the snake if I had hit him…”
Is the following a correct past perfect sentence?
I would have killed the snake if I had hit him hard with a stick.
1
vote
3answers
276 views
Past perfect in the specific sentence
I am not sure about using the past tenses here:
Yesterday I saw my friend who had just finished the university and
wanted to go out.
Is that correct? I am not sure about the past perfect but ...
2
votes
3answers
296 views
Using modal verb 'could' for simple past
If I form a sentence like:
I could read the book if I hadn't wasted my time.
Would it be considered a past perfect sentence with the part I could read the book being in simple past for context ...
5
votes
4answers
153 views
Can I separate events with period to form past perfect?
Can I say the following?
The doorbell rang. He had finished his meal.
I know I could join the sentences into one sentence to get the same meaning. I want to know if this would be correct if I ...
1
vote
1answer
431 views
present tense with past perfect?
I came across something really strange today in class. Because it was an anecdote, the story changed from past to present. Then, in the same sentence, the writer used the past perfect tense with the ...
2
votes
2answers
342 views
Past perfect events timeline
In the following example:
He had walked away when she looked at him.
If it is correct then which event came first? "She looked at him" should come first before "He had walked away" but here to me, ...
-2
votes
3answers
4k views
“I met” vs “I've met” [closed]
What's the difference between the following?
I met him in the UK.
I've met him in the UK.
Does the second sentence mean that the event was happened recently?
0
votes
1answer
355 views
Simple past or past perfect in this example
In the following examples:
When I was five years old I had a dog.
Is this a past perfect sentence? Here, I know that the 'dog' is not a verb and because we use third form of verb after 'had' so ...
1
vote
2answers
679 views
Past perfect tense in this example
For the following example:
I had seen many beautiful shops in UK, when I was walking down the street years ago.
I'm not sure if the phrase "years ago" at the end of this sentence is correct. ...
0
votes
1answer
834 views
Simple past vs. Past perfect [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
What's the difference between the following two sentences?
I had finished reading the book ...
1
vote
4answers
496 views
Past perfect progressive followed by simple present
I've found the following sentence here:
I had been enjoying the sunshine and blue sky of the day but as soon as we push open the door of the hangar, that pleasure ends brutally.
Is simple ...
