0
Marix998 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was/had been totally out of joint...
Hello,
if someone could help me with this:
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was totally out of joint; the court in Beijing no longer functioned as a meaningful factor in protecting either Chinese culture or autonomy. Popular frustration boiled to the surface in 1898, in the so-called Boxer Uprising. {original text}
why is there By the end and past simple (was), I thought BY is used with past perfect for example:
By the end of the twentieth century I had read many books.
By the time I was thirty I had read many books.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order had been totally out of joint
shouldn't it be:
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was totally out of joint; the court in Beijing no longer functioned as a meaningful factor in protecting either Chinese culture or autonomy. Popular frustration boiled to the surface in 1898, in the so-called Boxer Uprising.
Thank you
if someone could help me with this:
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was totally out of joint; the court in Beijing no longer functioned as a meaningful factor in protecting either Chinese culture or autonomy. Popular frustration boiled to the surface in 1898, in the so-called Boxer Uprising. {original text}
why is there By the end and past simple (was), I thought BY is used with past perfect for example:
By the end of the twentieth century I had read many books.
By the time I was thirty I had read many books.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order had been totally out of joint
shouldn't it be:
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was totally out of joint; the court in Beijing no longer functioned as a meaningful factor in protecting either Chinese culture or autonomy. Popular frustration boiled to the surface in 1898, in the so-called Boxer Uprising.
Thank you
Top answer
marix998 I thought BY was used with the past perfect It can be used with the past perfect, but it can also be used with other tenses. The initial phrase does not need to be changed to " At the end". CJ
- marix998 I thought BY was used with the past perfect It can be used with the past perfect, but it can also be used with other tenses.
- The initial phrase does not need to be changed to " At the end".
- CJ
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
5 Answers
0
marix998I thought BY was used with the past perfectIt can be used with the past perfect, but it can also be used with other tenses. The initial phrase does not need to be changed to "At the end".
CJ
00
thank you for your response,
is there any difference in meaning of the sentence between the past simple and the past perfect.
is there any difference in meaning of the sentence between the past simple and the past perfect.
00
marix998any difference in meaning of the sentence between the past simple and the past perfectBy the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order was totally out of joint. (Correct)
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order had been totally out of joint. (Not correct)
To use the past
00
one more question,
what about this sentence:
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order had been seen as totally out of joint.
(see -stative verb)
BR
what about this sentence:
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese world order had been seen as totally out of joint.
(see -stative verb)
BR
00
I don't know what to say about "had been seen". It sounds strange there without being really incorrect. 
CJ
CJ
0
Related Questions