Had been that?
Hi. I think the past perfect tense in the second example sentence is ambiguous in that it could mean he is still a teacher or stopped being a teacher. In that case, should we reword it? If yes, what do you think is a good way to reword it?
There was a man named John Doe. He had been a teacher.
Top answer
There was a man named John Doe. He had been a teacher. A native speaker would not say this if John Doe was still a teacher.
- There was a man named John Doe.
- He had been a teacher.
- A native speaker would not say this if John Doe was still a teacher.
- He would say eg There was a man named John Doe.
- He had been a teacher for seven years.
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There was a man named John Doe. He had been a teacher. A native speaker would not say this if John Doe was still a teacher.
He would say
eg There was a man named John Doe. He had been a teacher for seven years.
eg There was a man named John Doe. He was a teacher.
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