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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Do I have to swear? - Past perfect (Test)
Hi,
look at this:
Three years had passed since we ... each other.
a) had seen b) saw c) have seen d) did see
Had seen is the correct one, and clicking on saw I get:
"Three years had passed" happened AFTER "see", so you must use the past perfect, not the simple past, to indicate that "see" happened first. Study PAST PERFECT and SIMPLE PAST.
I'd like someone to comment on that. Thanks
look at this:
Three years had passed since we ... each other.
a) had seen b) saw c) have seen d) did see
Had seen is the correct one, and clicking on saw I get:
"Three years had passed" happened AFTER "see", so you must use the past perfect, not the simple past, to indicate that "see" happened first. Study PAST PERFECT and SIMPLE PAST.
I'd like someone to comment on that. Thanks
Top answer
Kooyeen Hi, look at this: Three years had passed since we ... each other. a) had seen b) saw c) have seen d) did see Had seen is the correct one, and clicking on saw I get: "Three years had passed" happened AFTER "see", so you must use the past perfect, not the simple past, to indicate that "see" happened first.
- Kooyeen Hi, look at this: Three years had passed since we ...
- each other.
- a) had seen b) saw c) have seen d) did see Had seen is the correct one, and clicking on saw I get: "Three years had passed" happened AFTER "see", so you must use the past perfect, not the simple past, to indicate that "see" happened first.
- Study PAST PERFECT and SIMPLE PAST.
- I'd like someone to comment on that.
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5 Answers
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KooyeenHi,
look at this:
Three years had passed since we ... each other.
a) had seen b) saw c) have seen d) did see
Had seen is the correct one, and clicking on saw I get:
"Three years had passed" happened AFTER "see", so you must use the past perfect, not the simple past, to indicate that "see"
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I agree that the answer is a, but the explanation why b is wrong is a little strange perhaps.
It seems that if you need to place see in a tense that indicates it happened before the past perfect tense had passed, you'd need to invent a new tense, the "superpast perfect" had had seen, to do it.
It seems that if you need to place see in a tense that indicates it happened before the past perfect tense had passed, you'd need to invent a new tense, the "superpast perfect" had had seen, to do it.
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Thanks a lot.
Yeah, that explanation doesn't make sense to me. I mean, "saw" is not wrong because the sequence of tenses is wrong, but because it's not supposed to be good in that hypothetical context.
Three years had passed since we had seen each other.<--- we used to see each other or we sometimes see each other.
Three years had passed since we [saw/had
Yeah, that explanation doesn't make sense to me. I mean, "saw" is not wrong because the sequence of tenses is wrong, but because it's not supposed to be good in that hypothetical context.
Three years had passed since we had seen each other.<--- we used to see each other or we sometimes see each other.
Three years had passed since we [saw/had
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Hmmm. I would have picked the same answer that they gave. I have nothing prescriptive to say to explain why! (I'm having trouble focusing on the difference you are arguing for. That's not to say that that difference doesn't exist.)
CJ
CJ
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Well, I was saying that according to that explanation the simple past would always be wrong in that construction. But that's not true, because if I add some info, the simple past is ok:
Three years had passed since we had seen each other. <--- past perfect
Three years had passed since we [saw/had seen] each other at that party in LA <--- bo
Three years had passed since we had seen each other. <--- past perfect
Three years had passed since we [saw/had seen] each other at that party in LA <--- bo
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