Questions tagged [past-perfect]
Questions about Past Perfect tense
280
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Had usage problem [migrated]
1)India won the toss and decided to bowl.
why not
2)India had won the toss and decided to bowl.
As the event of winning the toss occurred first.
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0answers
37 views
why the simple past tense (instead of past perfect) is used to describe something that happened before another in the past
I know that the past perfect tense is used when an event happened before another in the past. But the following paragraphs (from And the Mountains Echoed) use both past perfect and simple past to ...
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1answer
43 views
Is the following acceptable: was expecting + if I hadn't had
I sent an email recently to a hotel where I'm going to stay, but I got a flight cancelation. Here's a passage from my email,
I had my flight canceled today, I was expecting to arrive at the hotel ...
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1answer
36 views
Question about past perfect
I'm trying to figure out proper way to use past perfect tense. I came out with a few phrases but I'm still confused with the differences. Can someone explain to me the difference between each phrase?
...
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1answer
30 views
Past perfect + which tense?
I'm trying to say:
He had also made her promise that when that day comes (->????), she leave and not look back.
I'm stuck about the right tense to use for the verb to come, since it's the "future in ...
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1answer
51 views
Past Perfect usage question
„Boxer Joe Foster had fought over 100 opponents when he retired in 1994.” Why someone used Past Perfect in this senence?
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1answer
67 views
A question about 'Past Perfect'
I'll appreciate, if anyone could explain me the usage of past perfect in the following sentence, since the past perfect, I assume, is unusually referring to 'later past'.
"The frustrated ...
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1answer
33 views
Should I write “I have been teamed up” or “I had been teamed up”
I want to write a past perfect tense sentence with a word "teamed up". Should I write
I have been teamed up
OR
I had been teamed up.
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2answers
46 views
Is the sentence “While i was traveling i had seen beautiful buildings.” ungrammatical?
Is the sentence “While i was traveling i had seen beautiful buildings.” ungrammatical?
I think this sentence is grammatical using past perfect to describe multiple events in past
but the answer says ...
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1answer
33 views
Past Perfect Continuous vs. Past Perfect
I took a grammatical quiz and chose 'had been spending' answer. It turned out to be the wrong answer. May you explain why not the continuous form?
John _______ (to spends) 3 years in Pakistan ...
1
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1answer
44 views
Use of past perfect versus simple past
When a subordinate clause establishes time, do you have the option of using or not using the past perfect in the main clause?
When he called her, he said nothing about quitting his job.
When he ...
1
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1answer
22 views
Past continuous questions
I have a question about Past continuous from this following example.
" I was thinking that I wouldn't have any friends when I came here. "
" I was thinking that I wouldn't have any friends when I ...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
Multiple usage of Past Perfect in a one sentence. How to recognize which action took place first?
I know that Past Perfect means "earlier past" and is used to clarify which action took place first in chronological order, but what when there are more actions in the past perfect that need to be ...
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0answers
23 views
Which tense is appropriate? Simple or Perfect? [duplicate]
Consider the following two sentences:
Many buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.
Many buildings had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.
Which is appropriate, and why? I think ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
She has been being mistreated
She is being mistreated. She has been being mistreated for five years.
Is the second sentence grammatically correct? Or should the being been be contracted to just been? I. e. She has been mistreated ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Mixed tenses in a sentence : had to + simple past
So a story that is told primarily in simple past has the following sentence:
He had to shake him out of his trance and pointed at the battle.
Should 'pointed' follow the same tense as 'shake' and ...
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1answer
142 views
The use of never
would somebody help me to correct this sentence:
"I thought being all alone was never this ugly"
Is it grammatically correct? Thanks
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1answer
3k views
“I have been travelling” or “I had been…” or “I was…”?
My teacher asked me where had I been because I was very late.
What would be the best answer?
I have been travelling from my hometown to here, so I have came late
I had been travelling from…
I ...
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1answer
95 views
Can past perfect tense be used without a second tense?
I found this sentence in the book "Game of Thrones":
Catelyn had never liked this godswood.
It seems that the author used past perfect tense here, but without a second tense. Is it possible? Or is ...
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1answer
2k views
Difference between “had waited” and “had been waiting”
Can I write "I have been waiting for the bus for 30 minutes" instead of "I had waited for the bus for 30 minutes?"
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1answer
582 views
“You mentioned that you want” vs. “You had mentioned that you wanted” [duplicate]
How to say it in a right way and why?
1. In your advertisement, you had mentioned that you wanted to know about...
2. In your advertisement, you mentioned that you want to know about...
Thank you ...
1
vote
2answers
65 views
Past Perfect questions
I'm having a bit of trouble understanding certain aspects of the past perfect tense.
So my premise is, it deals with events that happened in the past at different times.
One event is in past ...
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1answer
30 views
How to spot error in the sentence? [closed]
Is it correct to say"I had left the place when he arrived"?
And what can be the other possible sentences we can frame referring to the same meaning
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1answer
78 views
weird airport customs questions I had
I was going through the US border control in an airport a couple days ago and the customs officer asked me a question that was kind unexpected. I don't remember the question exactly but it definitely ...
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1answer
76 views
Using past perfect tense after past tense
Which sentence is more correct?
He helped an old woman. Then, everyone had known that he was a good man.
He helped an old woman. Now, everyone has known that he is a good man.
I know that past ...
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3answers
51 views
Until and past tenses - are both correct or not?
I have a problem with these two sentences:
"You promised you would take care of her until she had grown up"
"You promised you would take care of her until she grew up"
Which of them is the correct?
...
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1answer
68 views
“news in letters” Is this a countable phrase?
......As a result, the news in letters was already out of date when people received it.
1) Is it better to use "were" in this case as we are talking about news in several letters?
2) also should I ...
1
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1answer
376 views
Future tense and past perfect tense together?
Police will have the pictures enlarged in an attempt to identify the thief.
This sentence include two tenses. The former one is will for the future tense and the other is past perfect future tense. ...
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1answer
302 views
A question regarding “had” vs “had had” [duplicate]
Which one you would choose?
I really had had a pleasant meal until you came
OR
I really had a pleasant meal until you came
I personally think that both are correct, but I am interested to see ...
1
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0answers
40 views
Is it possible to use the adverb 'now' in the past?
I learn pluperfect in German and recently ran into a web-page with English-German examples. One of the example seems to me incorrect, so I am bringing this out to make sure I correctly understand the ...
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1answer
69 views
Is this grammatically correct or not? [closed]
I have a question. Is this sentence correct grammatically??
What have you tried for it?
Or I should use this instead :
Have you tried anything for it?
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1answer
71 views
Shouldn't the first verb in “she died before I was born” be in the past perfect?
Quote from English book:
Sadly, I never got to meet her because she died before I was born.
I think it should be: Sadly, I never got to meet her because she "had" died before I was born.
I think ...
3
votes
1answer
206 views
American dialects: Replacing the past-perfect participle with the simple-past form
I have come across some American media (The Alternate History Hub youtube channel comes to mind) in which the perfect participle and the simple-past form have been merged.
For example, we would have:
...
3
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1answer
261 views
Past perfect simple - strange usage
By definition, past perfect simple tense "expresses an action taking place before a certain time in the past".
I have a hard time to understand why Terry Pratchett used it in the sentence:
"The ...
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0answers
249 views
Past Perfect with ago [duplicate]
How can we use ago with Past perfect? Are below lines correct?
The boy’s father had separated from the family many years ago while his mother worked as a gardener in Mukesh’s school.
Above lines ...
3
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1answer
150 views
Can the Past Perfect be substituted with past simple + time reference only with state verbs?
As an English teacher, I often find students unclear about the use of the past perfect. It seems that this is sometimes optional if there is a time reference. I take both these sentences to be correct ...
0
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1answer
100 views
Should there be the Past Perfect? “He advised me to do as he said but I didn't pay any…” [closed]
Where is the error in the following line?
He advised me to do as he said but I didn't pay any attention to his advice.
I am confused what is the error here or even error been there or not?
As far ...
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0answers
208 views
“We never discussed what happened” or “We never discussed what had happened?”
I'm writing some fiction in the past tense. At one point, I'm explaining a story in past perfect, and then the paragraph ends with "We never discussed what had happened."
But it appears to me that ...
0
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2answers
436 views
By the [point in time] + past simple / past continuous / past perfect
I've come across two sentences in "My Grammar Lab Advanced" that I found really confusing and made me want to reevaulate my understanding of the expression "by the + point in time" used in conjuction ...
0
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3answers
348 views
Past perfect: had --> have + was VS had --> have had + was
Which is correct?
If Mark had not included his own name in the message, we would have no idea who was behind it.
If Mark had not included his own name in the message, we would have had no idea who ...
0
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1answer
93 views
Usage of Past Perfect Tense
By way of introduction, he said that when he was younger he had worked for a construction company.
Hello,
In this sentence, I would like to know why past perfect tense is used for "he had worked".
...
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1answer
1k views
Difference between have been + ing and ed
What is the difference between following sentences, which is correct to express the present situation (I am into GRM)
I have been associated with GRM
I have been associating with GRM
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1answer
67 views
Past Perfect or Past Simple in the sentence where there are two events [duplicate]
which option is correct in the following sentence?
I ___ for my exam all morning so I was really upset when I didn't do
well.
a) revised
b) had revised
I would say that both options ...
-1
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2answers
216 views
Substitute the word “had” in a past perfect sentence with “did” [closed]
Consider the following sentence:
They arrived before we had left.
How do I use "did" and avoid using "had" in the above sentence?
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vote
2answers
58 views
“…like traffic lights which had gone mad” or “…have gone mad”? [closed]
Shall I use "have" or "had" in this sentence:
These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which had/have gone mad.
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2answers
3k views
“Ever + past perfect” vs “ever + simple past”
Hi there can any native speaker please tell me the difference between these two sentences. I have seen "past perfect" is rarely used In english. I know the first sentence is correct but in movies, ...
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2answers
4k views
It hadn't been done before OR it hasn't been done before
Imagine that someone thought he came up with an original idea. But actually I've heard that idea many times before. I want to express my exasperation, but I don't know which sentence is correct.
(...
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1answer
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'Are' or 'were' examples (in the past)? [duplicate]
If a group of deceased persons stand out as a good example in the past, and that their example is definitely worth following now, do I say that they 'were' good examples to us; or do I say that they '...
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0answers
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2 words HAD in a row
I don't understand this sentence, what are two words "HAD" mean?
"I think they may have thought that reaching out to people who represent what is now the mainstream way of thinking and HAD who HAD ...
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0answers
108 views
Past perfect in stories
I read the news about Hefner's death and want to understand why past perfect used in the sentence I've marked in bold and caps down below:
"But others pointed out that while Hefner launched his ...
