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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Is this past perfect?

Hi.Is this past perfect? If it is, is it used to the time of preparation of dinner before their arrival?

When they arrived in her house, she had their dinner made/prepared for them to eat.
  

Top answer

No, it's actually not. In this case, "to have" does not function as an auxilliary verb. It's the main verb.

— Avangi

  • No, it's actually not.
  • In this case, "to have" does not function as an auxilliary verb.
  • It's the main verb.
  • It's something like, "I had my hair cut," but not exactly.
  • " I guess your question is asking about the time reference for the perfect.
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3 Answers
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No, it's actually not. In this case, "to have" does not function as an auxilliary verb. It's the main verb. It's something like, "I had my hair cut," but not exactly. More like, "I had the keys in my hand."

I guess your question is asking about the time reference for the perfect. Sorry about that.

Present tense would be, "She has the keys in her hand." "She has their dinne
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Thank you. What do you call the "made and/or prepared" then? An adjective?

My sentence:

When they arrived in her house, she had their dinner made/prepared for them to eat.
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I was afraid you were going to ask me that. I really don't know. I suppose it's adjectival, but I instinctively feel it's more closely related to the verb, i.e., adverbial. I'll have to inquire.
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