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Velimir Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
because + past perfect
Hello everybody,
I have a question about the use of the past perfect and simple past in " because clauses" .Are the two tenses interchangeable in the most of the "because clauses" ? For example I append a few clauses I have randomly picked from google :
"The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where .. " (can i replace the because clause with the one with past perfect : "because he had been in place where.." without a change in the meaning ? )
or vice versa , can i replace the past perfect from the below "because clause" with the simple past :
"Back in 2006 my partner called the police because I had broken the door of our apartment." ( would it be the same : " because I broke the door of our apartment" )
I have noticed (by googling it ) that the use of the past perfect in "because clauses" is not so frequent. Am I right then that the simple past is a regular tense used in "because clauses" to situate the action in the clause in the past time and that the past perfect is used only if there is a need to emphasize the prior happening of the action in the "because clause" in reference to the action in the main clause ?
Thank you for your help
I have a question about the use of the past perfect and simple past in " because clauses" .Are the two tenses interchangeable in the most of the "because clauses" ? For example I append a few clauses I have randomly picked from google :
"The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where .. " (can i replace the because clause with the one with past perfect : "because he had been in place where.." without a change in the meaning ? )
or vice versa , can i replace the past perfect from the below "because clause" with the simple past :
"Back in 2006 my partner called the police because I had broken the door of our apartment." ( would it be the same : " because I broke the door of our apartment" )
I have noticed (by googling it ) that the use of the past perfect in "because clauses" is not so frequent. Am I right then that the simple past is a regular tense used in "because clauses" to situate the action in the clause in the past time and that the past perfect is used only if there is a need to emphasize the prior happening of the action in the "because clause" in reference to the action in the main clause ?
Thank you for your help
Top answer
"The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where .. " -- He was in the place at the same time the board decided or perhaps he was in the place before it decided but is no longer there. " - - He was definitely in the place before they decided and is no longer there.
- "The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where ..
- " -- He was in the place at the same time the board decided or perhaps he was in the place before it decided but is no longer there.
- " - - He was definitely in the place before they decided and is no longer there.
- " --You definitely broke the door well before your partner called.
- because I broke the door of our apartment" )- - You probably broke the door soon before your partner called.
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2 Answers
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"The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where .. "-- He was in the place at the same time the board decided or perhaps he was in the place before it decided but is no longer there.
"The board also said it made its decision because he was in a place where .. "-- He was in the place at the same time the board decided or perhaps he was in the place before it decided but is no longer there.
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