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Seeker08 Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Had been, was

Hi all,

I really need your help regarding this sentence:

(a certin thing, whatever it is) had been and nothing was before it. (talking about the existence of that thing). Does the sentence indicate that that thing does not exist anymore?

Thanks a lot!
  

Top answer

Hi, Need your help regarding this sentence: (a certin thing, whatever it is) had been and nothing was before it. (talking about the existence of that thing). Does the sentence mean that that thing does not exist anymore?

— Clive

  • Hi, Need your help regarding this sentence: (a certin thing, whatever it is) had been and nothing was before it.
  • (talking about the existence of that thing).
  • Does the sentence mean that that thing does not exist anymore?
  • It's not idiomatic to say 'A certain thing had been' .
  • It's more natural to say that it 'had existed '.
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4 Answers
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Hi,

Need your help regarding this sentence:

(a certin thing, whatever it is) had been and nothing was before it. (talking about the existence of that thing). Does the sentence mean that that thing does not exist anymore?

It's not idiomatic to say 'A certain thing had been'. It's more natural to say that it 'had existed'.

Anyway, the use of the P
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Clive, thank you so much, the question was BUGGING me.

Anyway, the original context was about ***, so I think "had existed" (which is worng to use as you thankfully told me, but just assuming it was right) would kind of indicate that He existed after not existing, am I right?

Thanks again.
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Hi,

I'm not clear about what you are trying to say.

Do you mean something like 'Nothing existed before ***'?

Clive
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Clive
Do you mean something like 'Nothing existed before ***'?

Exactly, that's what the first sentence, in its oiginal context, was supposed to convey.
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