Question

Hi everyone,'I was just heading to the class today and I was glad to see all the people as I was getting closer to the classroom because then I could be sure that I really had the class.'And now if I wanted to go on and say that before that it happened to me that I arrived there and the class had been canceled because it was a public holiday that week before and that's why the class was put off (the class is only once in 2 weeks), would I have to say it all in past perfect? I'm sorry for bothering you with the tense consistency again.I really appreciate all your answers.

GPY · Accepted Answer

I arrived there and the class had been canceled ...
I arrived there and the class was canceled ...

Both of these may be used.

I'm not sure I totally understand the next part. Why would a public holiday the week before cause a class to be cancelled? Do you actually mean that it was a public holiday on the day that the class should have been held? In that case, just continue:

... because it was a public holiday.

Ann225 · Answer

Well, it was a public holiday (because of which the class had to be put off), then I arrived for the next one, but there was no class that day and then the following week I arrived and I was glad that I actually had the class.

After that I wanted to talk about the time when I arrived and the class had been cancelled and then I wanted to go on talking about the week when the public holiday was. (which happened before the class was cancelled)
Would it be in the past perfect as well?

'I was relieved because the last time I had come there and the class had been cancelled.
Could I then say something like this?
It all happened because it was a public holiday the week before.

I simply can't imagine that i would say it all in the past perfect.

I'm sorry, it's a bit complicated.

GPY · Answer

Ann225Well, it was a public holiday (because of which the class had to be put off), then I arrived for the next one, but there was no class that day and then the following week I arrived and I was glad that I actually had the class.

Let me see if I understand. Let's say the class is held on Mondays.

Monday of week 1 there was no class because it was a public holiday. You knew this, so you didn't turn up.

Monday of week 2 there should have been a class, so you turned up but found it was cancelled.

Monday of week 3 you turned up again, and were pleased to find that the class was being held.

Ann225It all happened because it was a public holiday the week before.

But I still do not understand why a public holday in week 1 should cause the class to be cancelled in week 2.

Ann225 · Answer

It wasn't actually cancelled but there was simply no class that day. The reason it wasn't held was because we have the class only once in 2 weeks and I thought it would be rescheduled but it wasn't. Because of that we'll end up having less classes during the first term than we were supposed to. (All because of the holiday). But this story isn't that important. I'm just having doubts about the tense consistency. I want to get it right.

I start with saying that I arrived somewhere and that something had been cancelled. Then I want to go even further to the past to talk about the public holiday that caused all the chaos. Would I stick to the past perfect or would I switch back to the past simple?

Sorry for the trouble.

GPY · Answer

I suggest something like this:

As I was heading to class today, I was pleased to see other people heading the same way, confirming that the class was actually taking place. Two weeks ago there was no class because of a public holiday. I thought it would be moved forward to the following week, but there was no class last week either. In fact, there was no class until today, meaning that we will have fewer classes in the first term than we were supposed to.

Ann225 · Answer

Thank you. I really appreciate it. And if I wanted to say something like: I turned up for class and I was happy to see other people there, because that way I knew that the class was actually taking place. I'm saying this because the week before I had arrived there and there was no class held that day. (can i combine had arrived and was in this case?) It was all caused by a public holiday.

Now if I wanted to talk about the time when the public holiday was, would you advise me to use the past perfect or would you lean towards the past simple?

In general, when you talk about something and you go further to the past, do you stick to the past perfect?
I'm sorry for dwelling on about it.

GPY · Answer

Ann225I'm saying this because the week before I had arrived there and there was no class held that day. (can i combine had arrived and was in this case?)

The combination of tenses is possible, but "the week before I had arrived there" is rather awkwardly phrased. It can easily be misread as referring to the week prior to the time you arrived. Then the rest of the sentence doesn't work out, and one has to backtrack and seek another way to parse it. I suggest "I'm saying this because the previous week I (had) arrived there and there was no class that day". You can use either "had arrived" or "arrived", but probably I would not bother with the past perfect. "previous week" makes the chronology clear in itself.

Ann225Now if I wanted to talk about the time when the public holiday was, would you advise me to use the past perfect or would you lean towards the past simple?

I would need to see the actual wording in order to judge. However, see the comments below.

Ann225In general, when you talk about something and you go further to the past, do you stick to the past perfect?I'm sorry for dwelling on about it.

That is the purpose of the past perfect, but it should be used judiciously. In particular, it is very tiresome to continue at length in the past perfect. The more verbs you have, the more you need to find a way to transition into the simple past. For example, this is poor style (too much past perfect):

"I'm saying this because the previous week the class had been cancelled. I hadn't known that the class would be cancelled, so I had turned up, and I had found that no one else had come, so then I had realised ... blah blah ..."

Ann225 · Answer

Okay. You're right, it sounds a bit clumsy to me. As for the example you've given me (the one on the bottom), how would you rephrase it if you wanted to avoid using too much past perfect?

Could it be something like this?
I'm saying this because the previous week the class had been cancelled. I didn't know that the class would be cancelled so I turned up and I found out that nobody else came. Then I sarted thinking and it popped in my mind that the day we usually have the class was a public holiday, and that's why the class I had thought would be held was postponed (because we have it just once in 2 weeks). (the class had been a public holiday sounds a bit strange)

Would this work??
Thank you again, much appreciated

GPY · Answer

I feel that the whole thing is a bit laborious and unnecessarily wordy, and can be simplified. This is a suggestion:

I arrived for class and I was happy to see other people there, because that way I knew that the class was actually taking place. I'm saying this because the previous week the class had been cancelled. I turned up. but nobody else came, and eventually I realised that it was a public holiday.

I don't know where your last part, "because we have it just once in 2 weeks", fits. "because" introduces an explanation, but this does not seem to be an explanation for anything that has previously been said.

Ann225 · Answer

That sounds perfect. Just one tiny thing. I reliased that it was a public holiday. (but this concerns the week before which caused that the class had to be postponed) If I wanted to refer to it, would I say: I realised that it was caused by a public holiday that was or had been the previous week. ?

Thank you so much for your patience.

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