Are those tenses correct?
I have two little questions regarding the following sentences:
"By the time he came home, his brother had been waiting for him for hours" (or is it: ...his brother had waited? or was wating?)
"When I met my now-girlfriend, I had been swamped with work so I hadn't had time to go out with her at first." (or: I was swamped with work, so I didn't have time...)
Is the usage of tenses correct or do I have to alter them? I have my fair share of problems with "when-clauses", "by-clauses" and the "past perfect progressive/past perfect" tenses. Is there an easy exmplanation to it? I find these linear timegraphs often not very helpful for dynamic conversations...
Thank you in advance!
Top answer
his brother had waited? ) The point of reference is the time you arrived home. So, the most suitable option is had been waiting.
- his brother had waited?
- ) The point of reference is the time you arrived home.
- So, the most suitable option is had been waiting.
- Here, was waiting is not correct as the duration of the action—two hours— is expressed.
- " I think had been swamped is acceptable if you consider the situation that a lot of worked was assigned to you before you met your girl friend.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
Catull"By the time he came home, his brother had been waiting for him for hours" (or is it: ...his brother had waited? or was wating?)
The point of reference is the time you arrived home. So, the most suitable option is had been waiting.
Here, was waiting is not correct as the duration of the action—two hours— is expressed.
Catul
0
Related Questions