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Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
confused about past perfect
"My father, with tears in his eyes, tried to smile as one friend after another grasped his hand in a last farewell. Mama was overcome with grief. At last we were all inside the wagon----->The oxen moved slowly forward and the long journey had begun".
The question is that though we are taught that past perfect denotes an action taking place earlier that another action in the past, the last sentence ln this abstract contradicts this rule, please explain this aberration which I have often encountered quite a few times even in books by famous writers. Why they didnt write that the oxen had moved and the journey began ? Thanks a lot.
The question is that though we are taught that past perfect denotes an action taking place earlier that another action in the past, the last sentence ln this abstract contradicts this rule, please explain this aberration which I have often encountered quite a few times even in books by famous writers. Why they didnt write that the oxen had moved and the journey began ? Thanks a lot.
Top answer
It doesn't contradict the rule because the instant after the oxen moved, the beginning of the journey was already in the past. However, the two things can also be seen as coinciding, so "the long journey began" would also be OK.
- It doesn't contradict the rule because the instant after the oxen moved, the beginning of the journey was already in the past.
- However, the two things can also be seen as coinciding, so "the long journey began" would also be OK.
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5 Answers
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It doesn't contradict the rule because the instant after the oxen moved, the beginning of the journey was already in the past. However, the two things can also be seen as coinciding, so "the long journey began" would also be OK.
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Thanks but wouldn't it have the same meaning if we say the oxen had moved and the journey began?
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The past perfect simple is used to sequence events in the past to show which event happened first. Isn't it
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The past perfect in historical fiction is used for the writer's emphasis and marks significant events or turning points in the story.
The movement of oxen is not anything significant. It is incidental.
The beginning of a long journey (and the events that follow in the narrative) is. It marks a change that will have repercussions throughout the rest of the book.
The movement of oxen is not anything significant. It is incidental.
The beginning of a long journey (and the events that follow in the narrative) is. It marks a change that will have repercussions throughout the rest of the book.
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AnonymousThanks but wouldn't it have the same meaning if we say the oxen had moved and the journey began?That doesn't seem a likely combination.
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