I hurt/had hurt my leg in December.
1) You're telling your friend a random story from, say, 5 months ago.
A: We had to go to New York as soon as possible, but we couldn't. As you remember, I hurt my leg in December, so I couldn't move. (This story happened after December)
I wouldn't use the past perfect here, but should I? What's the difference?
2) For some strange reason, if this wasn't a conversation, I would almost certainly use the past perfect:
.... We had to go to New York as soon as possible, but we couldn't. I had hurt my leg in December, so I couldn't move.
What's the difference between 1) and 2)? Why is the past perfect more likely in the second instance? I feel as if "As you remember" has something to do with it?
Top answer
Necrophagist I wouldn't use the past perfect here, but should I? What's the difference? The past perfect makes it clearer and more emphatic that the accident happened as you were thinking about the trip, and it was the reason for postponement.
- Necrophagist I wouldn't use the past perfect here, but should I?
- What's the difference?
- The past perfect makes it clearer and more emphatic that the accident happened as you were thinking about the trip, and it was the reason for postponement.
- In conversation, we seldom pay attention to these nuances because we have time to go through a longer story, making sure the details are understood.
- If you listen to conversations carefully, you will find out that we speak a lot in fragments rather than completed sentences.
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NecrophagistI wouldn't use the past perfect here, but should I? What's the difference?
The past perfect makes it clearer and more emphatic that the accident happened as you were thinking about the trip, and it was the reason for postponement.
In conversation, we seldom pay attention to these nuances because we have time to go through a longer story, m
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