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Dib Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

I always felt vs I had always felt

Dear teachers

What is the difference between:

I always felt nothing much was being done about it.

vs

I had always felt nothing much was being done about it.

Here's the context:

I was always surprised at how he trolled outside of the rants section of the forum and I always felt nothing much was being done about it. Guess he crossed the last line this time. What did he do to get banned?

Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

Especially in American English, the past tense (felt) is often used with always and ever and never with no real difference in meaning. Mark Twain once said: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. CB

— Cool Breeze

  • Especially in American English, the past tense (felt) is often used with always and ever and never with no real difference in meaning.
  • Mark Twain once said: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.
  • CB
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5 Answers
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Especially in American English, the past tense (felt) is often used with always and ever and never with no real difference in meaning. Mark Twain once said: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

CB
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Cool BreezeEspecially in American English, the past tense (felt) is often used with always and ever and never with no real difference in meaning. Mark Twain once said: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.CB
Thank you, sir

So in American english "I had always felt" and "I always felt" basically mean the s
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DibSo in American english "I had always felt" and "I always felt" basically mean the same?
Mark Twain was definitely alive when he said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." That's why the past perfect had spent is unthinkable. He could have said: "The coldest winter I have ever spent was a summer in San
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Sorry, I meant in the context of my original 2 sentences i.e

I always felt nothing much was being done about it.

And

I had always felt nothing much was being done about it.

Do they roughly have the same meaning?
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DibDo they roughly have the same meaning?
I wouldn't use the past perfect in this context.

CB
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