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Lionforsleeping Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
About Until
Pllease see below sentence.
"He worked in our comany unti 1999"
Did he worked in our company in 1999?
or
Ddin't he work in our comany at all in 1999?
I'm so comfusing about that.
"He worked in our comany unti 1999"
Did he worked in our company in 1999?
or
Ddin't he work in our comany at all in 1999?
I'm so comfusing about that.
Top answer
If the time of saying this sentence is now ( which is a point after 1999 ) You would use the past perfect ( had + past participle ) in order to talk about something happened before a specific point in the past. He had worked here untill 1999. _____________________|_______________________ | 1999 Now That means he started working at a point of time before 1999, and stopped in 1999.
- If the time of saying this sentence is now ( which is a point after 1999 ) You would use the past perfect ( had + past participle ) in order to talk about something happened before a specific point in the past.
- He had worked here untill 1999.
- _____________________|_______________________ | 1999 Now That means he started working at a point of time before 1999, and stopped in 1999.
- Another example, She had left before I arrived.
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6 Answers
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If the time of saying this sentence is now ( which is a point after 1999 )
You would use the past perfect ( had + past participle ) in order to talk about something happened before a specific point in the past.
He had worked here untill 1999.
_____________________|_______________________|
1999
You would use the past perfect ( had + past participle ) in order to talk about something happened before a specific point in the past.
He had worked here untill 1999.
_____________________|_______________________|
1999
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In general, there's no way to know. It's ambiguous.
But imagining the most likely contexts, if he worked in your company until 1999, then something must have happened in 1999, something that caused him not to work in your company anymore. So he probably worked in that company in 1999, but not for the whole year. Or maybe he never worked in 1999. So the point is that something changed in
But imagining the most likely contexts, if he worked in your company until 1999, then something must have happened in 1999, something that caused him not to work in your company anymore. So he probably worked in that company in 1999, but not for the whole year. Or maybe he never worked in 1999. So the point is that something changed in
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lionforsleepingHe worked in our company until 1999.There is no way to answer whether he worked in 1999 or not. The English word until is not precise enough.
CJ
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thanks a lot CJ.
I glad to see you again.
one more question.
I'm sorry for bothering you.
"He waited for her until 8pm."
"He will wait for her until 8pm."
Maybe "until 8 pm" means that he stopped waiting / wll stopped waitng at shortly before 8pm?
He danced until dawn? He will dance until dawn?
I feel so difficult because un
I glad to see you again.
one more question.
I'm sorry for bothering you.
"He waited for her until 8pm."
"He will wait for her until 8pm."
Maybe "until 8 pm" means that he stopped waiting / wll stopped waitng at shortly before 8pm?
He danced until dawn? He will dance until dawn?
I feel so difficult because un
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lionforsleepingthanks a lot CJ.
I am glad to see you again.
one more question.
I'm sorry for bothering you.
"He waited for her until 8pm."
"He will wait for her until 8pm."
Maybe "until 8 pm" means that he stopped waiting / will
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lionforsleeping"He waited for her until 8pm."No. There's nothing about "shortly before" in the meaning of "until".
"He will wait for her until 8pm."
Maybe "until 8 pm" means that he stopped waiting / wll stoppedwaitng at shortly before 8pm?
The use of the past or the future tense does nothing to change the meaning
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