Tagged Questions
-1
votes
0answers
27 views
Past perfect or past simple in this example? [closed]
I have some troubles with understanding here:
Remembering all the times he wouldn't die, why had he had to die now?
Could I just write:
Remembering all the times he wouldn't die, why did he ...
-1
votes
1answer
108 views
“I been” or “I’ve been”? [closed]
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" ...
-2
votes
2answers
4k 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
106 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 ...
2
votes
4answers
147 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
302 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
205 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
200 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
vote
1answer
226 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
vote
1answer
144 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
352 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. ...
2
votes
5answers
473 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
votes
1answer
356 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
3answers
142 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
404 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
158 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 ...
-3
votes
2answers
237 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
437 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
3answers
5k 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
868 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
503 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
200 views
Choosing Past Simple or Past Perfect: Do I need “had” here?
Do I need "had" here? If yes, do I need to change "did" to "done"?
A: Lucy accidentally broke her mum’s favorite cup yesterday.
B: Oh! I think her mom was really angry at her, right?
A: ...
1
vote
2answers
186 views
Why past perfect in the following?
The following is taken from a website. In the context below why the second part, "had signed", is in past perfect?
... The case was scheduled to be tried before the justice of the peace in the ...
0
votes
5answers
258 views
Is past perfect appropriate here?
Is this sentence correct?
We had published the OpenCCU source code at the beginning of 2002. At first we had uploaded source code on Sourceforge and immediately began receiving thanks and wishlist ...
0
votes
2answers
133 views
“Once the client has replaced the songs” or “Once the client had replaced the songs”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
Mira is wondering what is the correct way to say:
"Once the client has replaced the songs" or "Once ...
1
vote
2answers
495 views
Simple Past or Past Perfect
If I went to a place last night where I needed to show an id, but I forgot to have it on me. So if in the morning I was speaking to a friend(reporting on what happened), which one of the following ...
2
votes
1answer
21k views
where should we use has/have been and had been?
Where should we use "has/have been" and "had been"? What is the difference between
them?
0
votes
4answers
796 views
“Were gone” vs. “had gone” [closed]
Whats the difference between:
She were gone to party.
She had gone to party.
Are they both ok?
1
vote
5answers
6k views
Can I use “I have asked something”
I wonder whether “ask” can be used as verb in past or present perfect tense. I used “I have asked something from somebody” in email, but this sentence sounds a little weird to me. So I want to check ...
1
vote
2answers
495 views
Verb Forms and Their Usage
What is meant by "present perfect", "past perfect", and "future perfect" verbs? How can I identify them or know which is which?
