In usage I (had always heard) it as an expression of male pleasure.

Question

Greetings,Below is a post titled, http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22551&sid=605ff5597c9e6e0c78c61227cd54973a, from the http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22551. I wonder why the poster used a past perfect instead of a past (a completed action) or a present perfect (indefinite past event/action) tense.I don't see the Reference Time stated in his post (a past perfect needs a past tense as a reference point). Could it be the time when the quote in his post was posted, specifically prefaced with the verb "wrote"?Ken Greenwald wrote&lt;1967 “If you are going to tell me some broad is going to lay out five-hundred frog-skins to get her rocks off, say it.”—Pimp (1998) by ‘Iceberg Slim,’ iii. page 47&gt;In usage I had always heard it as an expression of male (or indeterminate) pleasure. But I would not have expected to be used specifically of a woman.tony

Avangi · Accepted Answer

EnglishSmithBelow is a post titled, get one's rocks off

As you say, this is a title. It's not a sentence, so it doesn't need to follow grammatical rules.

It could appear under a photo. (Getting one's rocks off)
It could be an invitation.

You might say it's similar to "Have Fun!" It doesn't really have a tense.
(Well, "Have fun" could be an imperative sentence, as could "Get your rocks off!")

If I had to use it as a title, it would probably be the infinitive: To get one's rocks off

ETA . Are you referring specifically to the sentence in the Greenwald quote?

The tense is, If you are going to do it, then do it this way. We're talking about future events.

Sorry if I misunderstood. - A.

EnglishSmith · Answer

I'm sorry, I thought setting the past perfect in bold was enough. However, I meant Tony's answer. He said " I had always heard it " instead of saying, for example, I always heard it.
If you were Tony, would you phrase your answer as he did, or use a different phrase with a different tense?

Avangi · Answer

I would probably use the past perfect, since we're challenging / referring to a specific statement that was made in the past.
But there would be nothing wrong with using the simple past or the present perfect, especially in casual speech.

I always heard
I have always heard
I had always heard * (as Tony phrased it)

In fact, even the present simple and the present continuous seem to work. (Granted, the flavor is a little different.)

I always hear
I am always hearing

Speaking of Tony, I wouldn't give him any kudos for this sentence: But I would not have expected to be used specifically of a woman.

In usage I (had always heard) it as an expression of male pleasure.

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