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Liveinjapan Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Had landed .... after

NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost. 

Is it better to leave out 'had'?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Hi, NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost. Is it better to leave 'had'? 'Had landed' indicates the event of landing occured before some other point in time, previously specified, in the past.

— Clive

  • Hi, NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost.
  • Is it better to leave 'had'?
  • 'Had landed' indicates the event of landing occured before some other point in time, previously specified, in the past.
  • So, whether 'had landed'' is correct depends on the earlier context of the statement.
  • eg The statement 'Mary had cooked dinner' makes no sense by itself.
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4 Answers
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Hi,
NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost.



Is it better to leave 'had'?

'Had landed' indicates the event of landing occured before some other point in time, previously specified, in the past. So, whether '
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Thanks, Clive.

NASA's most recent Mars project -- the mission of the Phoenix Mars Lander -- came to an end last month after the solar-powered vehicle's batteries ran down as the result of a dust storm and the onset of Martian winter. It had operated two months beyond its initial three-month mission.

The above is the previous paragraph.
Clive
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Thanks a million, Clive.
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