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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Grammar tenses--Experts

Do subordinate clauses influence the tense of the main clause? Yes, right?



Before I went to school, I had eaten a big breakfast.

I didn't have any money because I had lost my wallet.



But what happens when we have a greater context to consider? Does the greater context have more influence over the tense of the main clause than the subordinate clause has influence?



1a. I got up at 7am. Before I went to school, I ate/had eaten a big breakfast.



(I can't think of a context to include with my sentence about the wallet)



Same question?





2a. I arrived at school at 8am. Before I went to school, I ate/had eaten a big breakfast.






Thanks
  

Top answer

English 1b3 Do subordinate clauses influence the tense of the main clause? Yes, right? Before I went to school, I had eaten a big breakfast.

— Mr Wordy

  • English 1b3 Do subordinate clauses influence the tense of the main clause?
  • Yes, right?
  • Before I went to school, I had eaten a big breakfast.
  • I didn't have any money because I had lost my wallet.
  • ).
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9 Answers
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English 1b3Do subordinate clauses influence the tense of the main clause? Yes, right?


Before I went to school, I had eaten a big breakfast.

I didn't have any money because I had lost my wallet.

Hi again English 1b3, I've come over here to comment because of your invitation at the other thread, but I
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Thanks for your reply, Mr Wordy. My question is quite hard to explain, unfortunately. Your answers sort of indirectly answered my question, but I think if you were to understand what I was asking a little better, we could be moving forward a wee bit faster.

My first two sentences were there to basically show that I believe the time something happens in the subordinate clause influences t
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Maybe I see where you're going, but I think it may be a cul-de-sac.

When the order of 2 past events is clearly evident, past perfect is not required.The 'greater context' here is superfluous, since the sequence of the 2 events is obvious from both perspectives

1a-- I got up at 7am. Before I went to school, I ate a big breakfast.
2a-- I arrived at school
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I think I need to read this a second time. I understand what you're saying, but whether or not I understand how your example sentences prove your point is another thing.
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Mister Micawber
Well, that experiment seems to show that the contextual perspective still doesn't change verb form choice. The perspective does not seem to expand beyond the 2 events.


Where you lost me... What/how is this experiment showing this?
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Because the 'greater context' as you call it only affects the tense when it is no longer 'greater'. I am not fit to explore this topic any further than that.
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"That evening I studied hard for the exam, so next day I knew all the answers."

"That day we had an exam; I had studied hard the previous evening, so I knew all the answers."

??
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So the answer is that I needn't consider the greater context when deciding the tense of the main verb? So these are right? That is, "I got up at 7am" doesn't affect the tense of the following clause?

1a-- I got up at 7am. Before I went to school, I ate a big breakfast.

2a-- I arrived at school at 8am. Before I went to school, I ate a big breakf
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That's how I see it, yes-- just the clarity of the time relationship with the other past action (when considering the use of the past perfect).
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