Questions tagged [past-vs-past-perfect]
is for questions about when to use the past tense versus the past perfect tense
20 questions
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'was' versus 'had been'
When I asked the driver/ to come with me to the temple/ he had been reluctant./ No error.
I think instead of 'had been', there should be 'was'. Even the answer key points that the error is in the 'he ...
- 1,292
10
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1
answer
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English's imperfect tense and its imperfection
It just occurred to me that in English, when we use what Spanish would refer to as the "imperfect tense", we are actually adding a mode of termination to the action. Whereas in Spanish, there is no ...
- 1,856
2
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1
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"He had a gun." or "He has had a gun."
What is the difference between the sentences
He had a gun.
and
He has had a gun.
I think when you are saying about the past why don't you just say it as
"He had a gun" instead of ...
- 33
2
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2
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16k
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I -/Have/Had Never Thought Of That?
I am currently a bit confused about the difference between these 3 phrases:
I have never thought of that. (present perfect)
I had never thought of that. (past perfect)
I never thought of that. (past ...
- 237
2
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2
answers
14k
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It had been a long time since + Past Perfect or Past Simple
I would like to know which one is correct when the structure refers to a past event.
Past Perfect + Past Simple -
It had been a long time since I met her.
Past Perfect + Past Perfect -
It had ...
doggo
1
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1
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3k
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Would it be possible to change past perfect into simple past
She invited me to dinner. But it _____ two years since I _____ to her house. So I lost my way.
The answer is "was", "had gone" but would it be possible to change "had gone" into "went" because if ...
- 7,747
6
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1
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560
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Why is the Past Perfect not used here?
A quote from The Innocents Abroad, by Mark Twain:
A devout lady who died, left money and contracted for unlimited masses
for the repose of her soul, and also stipulated that this lamp should
be ...
- 411
3
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2
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910
views
Past perfect or past simple with before
Example 1
I've lived here all my life, and I've been through quakes before. But this one felt different — not because of how big it was, but because of all the bad things that happened ...
- 7,747
3
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1
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He had left before you came
He had left before you came.
He left before you came.
Are the timelines same?
- 1,387
2
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2
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2k
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Is it true that when we use 'before' with the Past Perfect tense, the action in the past simple happens first?
I've stumbled across the following rule in the grammar book 'My Grammar Lab': with before + past perfect the action in the past simple happens first. The following example has been given: I left ...
2
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1
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Is the usage of tenses correct in this sentence - "two days had passed since she had last eaten or slept"
Two days had passed since she had last eaten or slept.
Or should it be:
Two days have passed since she last ate or slept.
Or something else? And why? The combinatorial explosion of past simple, ...
- 21
2
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3
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3k
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Should this reported speech use "was" or "had been" to convert "was"?
When you have a sentence in the direct speech talking about someone’s age such as “a producer discovered me when I was 13”
How does it change into the reported speech?
he said a producer had ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
11k
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Why "I hadn't noticed" instead of "I didn't notice"/"I haven't notice"?
I see that I hadn't noticed is commonly used by native speakers, more than the pair I didn't notice and I haven't noticed ,in the following example
People are being more careful nowadays, don't you ...
- 497
1
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1
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330
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Past Simple or Past Perfect in the context of something having been done by the exact time yesterday
Here goes a sentence:
Alice said that she had translated three articles by five o’clock
yesterday.
My question is as follows:
If what Alice exactly said was "I had translated three articles by ...
- 9,657
1
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3
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What is the difference between "had engaged", "had been engaged", and "were engaged" in this context?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi disclosed on Saturday that the registration of over 1 lakh companies which had allegedly engaged in suspicious transactions post demonetisation had been scrapped as he ...
- 2,311
1
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1
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Past tense vs past perfect
Conversation between A and B:
A: I came to your home yesterday.You were not there.Where were you?
Now, which of followings will be best reply by B.
1.I had gone to my uncle's home.
2.I went to my ...
- 455
0
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2
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9k
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What is the difference between Past simple and Past perfect
I cleaned my room after I got up.
I had cleaned my room after I got up.
In the above two sentences, though there is a difference in the tenses used- the former being in simple past and the ...
- 377
0
votes
2
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1k
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"have had" and "had had" for possession
I want to make sure how to use perfect tenses (past and present) with have for possession:
Suppose I bought a car a few month ago and I sold it today. Can I say:
I have had a red car for a few ...
- 683
0
votes
3
answers
515
views
When should we use Until?
I had never traveled outside my country until I went to Disney World last summer
or
I never traveled outside my country until I had gone to Disney World last summer
Until is followed by past ...
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0
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I had done when you had come by the evening
We have "A" and B moments in the past. "A" happened first, "B" happened second. "A" should be in Perfect. Example:
I had done when you came
I had done - "A"
When you came - "B"
"A" happened before ...
- 1,081