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Lolakrawczyk Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Grammar- Past Tenses
Hello! 
Could someone explain me why I use these tenses in some cases?
This time last year "(1) I was cycling " in the rain along a country road in France with friend of mine. We "(2) had decided " to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us "(3) had been " to France before but we knew some French from our time t school and we "(4) had managed" to brush up on the basic. Now we were wondering if we "(5) had made" the right decision.We had planed our route carefully in advance, but "(6) we had forgotten " one important thing: the weather. It had been raining solidly since our arrival and that night we ended up sleeping in the waiting room at railway station. Then the next morning we rode down hill, my bike skidded on the wet road and I failed off. I realized immediately that I "(7) had broken" my arm, and after a visit to local hospital I caught the next train to Calais for the ferry home. Unfortunately my parents didn't expect me home for a fortnight, and had gone away on holiday. So I spent a miserable couple of weeks alone, reading "teach Yourself French".
Why in case (2) I can't use "decided"?
Why in case (3) I use "had been"?
Why in case (4) I use "had managed"?
Why in case (5) I can't use "made"?
Why in case (6) I use "Had forgotten"?
Why in case (7) I use "Had broken"?
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Could someone explain me why I use these tenses in some cases?
This time last year "(1) I was cycling " in the rain along a country road in France with friend of mine. We "(2) had decided " to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us "(3) had been " to France before but we knew some French from our time t school and we "(4) had managed" to brush up on the basic. Now we were wondering if we "(5) had made" the right decision.We had planed our route carefully in advance, but "(6) we had forgotten " one important thing: the weather. It had been raining solidly since our arrival and that night we ended up sleeping in the waiting room at railway station. Then the next morning we rode down hill, my bike skidded on the wet road and I failed off. I realized immediately that I "(7) had broken" my arm, and after a visit to local hospital I caught the next train to Calais for the ferry home. Unfortunately my parents didn't expect me home for a fortnight, and had gone away on holiday. So I spent a miserable couple of weeks alone, reading "teach Yourself French".
Why in case (2) I can't use "decided"?
Why in case (3) I use "had been"?
Why in case (4) I use "had managed"?
Why in case (5) I can't use "made"?
Why in case (6) I use "Had forgotten"?
Why in case (7) I use "Had broken"?
)Top answer
Hello, lolakrawczyk—and welcome to English Forums. Past perfect is used to clarify that the actions (verbs) using it precede the simple past of the narrative ('this time last year'). That reason holds true for all of the cases you list.
- Hello, lolakrawczyk—and welcome to English Forums.
- Past perfect is used to clarify that the actions (verbs) using it precede the simple past of the narrative ('this time last year').
- That reason holds true for all of the cases you list.
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1 Answers
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Hello, lolakrawczyk—and welcome to English Forums.
Past perfect is used to clarify that the actions (verbs) using it precede the simple past of the narrative ('this time last year'). That reason holds true for all of the cases you list.
Past perfect is used to clarify that the actions (verbs) using it precede the simple past of the narrative ('this time last year'). That reason holds true for all of the cases you list.
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