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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Going prior to a past perfect scene
When what I think is a situation of revisiting the prior moments of past perfect, I think it would be correct (appropriate?) to use a past tense rather than a past perfect tense. Let us pretend the writing started off with a past perfect tense.
Joe had come from school. He ate a dinner that was prepared for him on the table and went on to sit comfortable on the sofa to read today's newspaper. Few minutes into reading, he heard a knock and got up to ask who the person was (is?). The person behind the door said he was John whom he met (had met?) at school. Thinking over the response, he remembered he made (had made?) a new friend at school and proceeded to welcome him in.
I think the context makes it clear that the meeting of John took place prior to his coming home and at school and past perfect isn't needed for both situations. I think, if we add a time word like "today" to the sentences in question, then we surly don't need to make the parts past perfect (i.e. the past tense is correct).
Joe had come from school. He ate a dinner that was prepared for him on the table and went on to sit comfortable on the sofa to read today's newspaper. Few minutes into reading, he heard a knock and got up to ask who the person was (is?). The person behind the door said he was John whom he met (had met?) at school. Thinking over the response, he remembered he made (had made?) a new friend at school and proceeded to welcome him in.
I think the context makes it clear that the meeting of John took place prior to his coming home and at school and past perfect isn't needed for both situations. I think, if we add a time word like "today" to the sentences in question, then we surly don't need to make the parts past perfect (i.e. the past tense is correct).
Top answer
The first "Joe had come" isn't necesssary. ). Use the past perfect for making the friend.
- The first "Joe had come" isn't necesssary.
- ).
- Use the past perfect for making the friend.
- It sounds far more natural.
- Continuing to use "he" after you introduce a new male character is confusing.
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3 Answers
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The first "Joe had come" isn't necesssary. Definitely use the past perfect for the backshift in reported speech (the person said...). Use the past perfect for making the friend. It sounds far more natural. Continuing to use "he" after you introduce a new male character is confusing.
Joe came home from school and ate the dinner that had been prepared for him at the table. Then he went to
Joe came home from school and ate the dinner that had been prepared for him at the table. Then he went to
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Hi. Thank you. I think (I am not sure at all) it was Clive who said something like past perfect would be best used for those situations where no time words (phrases?) are involved. And looking at what you wrote just about at the end of the writing (correction) -- which is "...that he had made a new friend name John at school that day and ..." -- I am not sure what to think of this use with what l
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Grammar GeekJoe came home from school and ate the dinner that had been prepared for him at the table. Then he went to sit comfortably on the sofa to read the day's newspaper. A few minutes after he started reading, he heard a knock and got up to ask who was at the door. The person knocking said that he was John, whom he had met at school. Joe remembered that he had made a
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