0
Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
He said that the train had left before he arrived at the station.
0 I'd be happy if someone would answer my question. Thanks in advance. 02 br
02 br
00 Do the following 3 sentences all express the same situation? 02 br
02 br
00 A: He said that the train had left before he arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 B: He said that the train had left before he had arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 C: He said that the train left before he arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 When you change the sentence: "He says that the train had left before he arrived at the station." using "He said" instead of "He says", which is the possible result, A, B or C, or all three? 0-
02 br
00 Do the following 3 sentences all express the same situation? 02 br
02 br
00 A: He said that the train had left before he arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 B: He said that the train had left before he had arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 C: He said that the train left before he arrived at the station. 02 br
02 br
00 When you change the sentence: "He says that the train had left before he arrived at the station." using "He said" instead of "He says", which is the possible result, A, B or C, or all three? 0-
Top answer
0 We use things like past perfect to make it clear what happened before something else. 02 br 02 br 00 A is fine and traditional. 02 br 02 br 00 B.
- 0 We use things like past perfect to make it clear what happened before something else.
- 02 br 02 br 00 A is fine and traditional.
- 02 br 02 br 00 B.
- " 02 br 02 br 00 C is also fine.
- 02 br 02 br 00 What would not be okay is to say that the train left before he had arrived.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
5 Answers
0
0 We use things like past perfect to make it clear what happened before something else. When you have a very clear marker like the word "before" the use of the past perfect isn't as important. 02 br
02 br
00 A is fine and traditional. 02 br
02 br
00 B. This is fine too because it's reported speech, which pushes thing back a step in the tense sequence, so the "arri
02 br
00 A is fine and traditional. 02 br
02 br
00 B. This is fine too because it's reported speech, which pushes thing back a step in the tense sequence, so the "arri
00
0 Hi Anon, 02 br
02 br
00 We are not particularly interested in finding if someone is happy with our answers. 00 00 So 01 sup 00 02 sup 01 b 00 “I‘d be happy if…” 02 b 00 does sound aweful to my ears. I had made this comment before and I am not sure you were the same poster. But I would make another attempt to make this point. If you want
02 br
00 We are not particularly interested in finding if someone is happy with our answers. 00 00 So 01 sup 00 02 sup 01 b 00 “I‘d be happy if…” 02 b 00 does sound aweful to my ears. I had made this comment before and I am not sure you were the same poster. But I would make another attempt to make this point. If you want
00
0 Hi, 02 br
00 I don't like B. Two past perfects don't sound good to me, I wonder why. I'd get rid of one, and which one I'd get rid of would depend on what I wanted to emphasize. Or I'd get rid of both (and you get your C). 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 "I'd be happy if" 02 i 00 doesn't seem bad to me, but I would use "glad" --> 01 i 00 I'd be glad if...
00 I don't like B. Two past perfects don't sound good to me, I wonder why. I'd get rid of one, and which one I'd get rid of would depend on what I wanted to emphasize. Or I'd get rid of both (and you get your C). 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 "I'd be happy if" 02 i 00 doesn't seem bad to me, but I would use "glad" --> 01 i 00 I'd be glad if...
00
0 Perhaps it is a cultural thing. 00 00 We have been taught in early age when asking for favors or help from others, we should show our gratitude and appreciation by being humble. So to our ears, “I’d be happy…” projects a tone that centers around his being happy, rather than appreciating the help. 00 00 00 I made the comments for that reason. If we don’t share the same culture,
00
0 Thank you for your advice. Frm now on I'd use "I'd appreciate it if ---" 0-
0
Related Questions