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JKBelieve Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
A confusing problem involving 'tenses'
'When he came back from his business trip he asked his wife what became of the dogs...'
OR
'When he came back from his business trip he asked his wife what had become of the dogs....'
I know that the second sentence feels more natural but I don't think the first sentence is exactly wrong either...can you tell
me for sure if sentence no.1 is grammatically faulty?
Thanx ^^
OR
'When he came back from his business trip he asked his wife what had become of the dogs....'
I know that the second sentence feels more natural but I don't think the first sentence is exactly wrong either...can you tell
me for sure if sentence no.1 is grammatically faulty?
Thanx ^^
Top answer
to become normally indicates a process, thus taking some time. I would thus prefer 2 in formal writing, because had become allows that time, but 1 is understandable, however quite informal.
- to become normally indicates a process, thus taking some time.
- I would thus prefer 2 in formal writing, because had become allows that time, but 1 is understandable, however quite informal.
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6 Answers
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to become
normally indicates a process, thus taking some time.
I would thus prefer 2 in formal writing, because had become allows that time, but 1 is understandable, however quite informal.
normally indicates a process, thus taking some time.
I would thus prefer 2 in formal writing, because had become allows that time, but 1 is understandable, however quite informal.
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JKBelieve'When he came back from his business trip he asked his wife what became of the dogs...'
OR
'When he came back from his business trip he asked his wife what had become of the dogs....'
I know that the second sentence feels more natural but I don't think the first sentence i
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Can you tell me for sure if sentence no.1 is grammatically faulty?Yes. It is not faulty. It is completely understandable.
However, the man was asking about something that (had) probably happened before he got back from his trip, so the past perfect seems more appropriate.
In any case it depends to some extent on what you imagine his actual words we
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I'd like to give a little comment.
«...the action having happened before the man's return from the trip.»
«However, the man was asking about something that (had) probably happened before he got back from his trip, so the past perfect seems more appropriate.»
You always compare the moment of the dogs accident with that of the return from the trip. But, Past Perfect could
«...the action having happened before the man's return from the trip.»
«However, the man was asking about something that (had) probably happened before he got back from his trip, so the past perfect seems more appropriate.»
You always compare the moment of the dogs accident with that of the return from the trip. But, Past Perfect could
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CalifJimwhat had become of the dogsSorry. I just wonder what's the meaning of the sentence. Please correct my question also if it's wrong.Thank you.
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sallyenglishwhat had become of the dogs ... meaning ...What happened to the dogs?
Where are the dogs?
Where did the dogs go?
Why aren't the dogs here?
CJ
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