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Manh Nguyen Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

It had been a long time since we met.

I sometimes encounter sentences which are in the form "It had been .... since+ past tense/past perfect tense". I want to know if both of these form are correct in strict or formal grammar.
  

Top answer

I would like to see one of the sentences you have encountered. Learners sometimes misread. Be sure to include adequate context, because past perfect requires the presence of at least two past actions at different times.

— Mister Micawber

  • I would like to see one of the sentences you have encountered.
  • Learners sometimes misread.
  • Be sure to include adequate context, because past perfect requires the presence of at least two past actions at different times.
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10 Answers
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I would like to see one of the sentences you have encountered. Learners sometimes misread. Be sure to include adequate context, because past perfect requires the presence of at least two past actions at different times.
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I've just found this post with the same topic . Was Maroe right?
Below is the question with the structure:
It______ a long time since we were apart. I did not recognize her.
A. is.
B. has been
C. was
D.had been
If "It had been.... since + past tense" is not grammatical, B must be correct.
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Both 'had been' and 'has been' are possible in that sentence. We do not have enough context to determine which is appropriate.
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Do you mean "It had been........since + past tense" is grammatically correct?
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Referring to Manh's last post, does this not mean the following?

I did not recognize her because it had been a long time since we were apart.

I mean since it's a past event - 'I did not recognise her', hence 'has been' can be ruled out?
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Manh NguyenDo you mean "It had been........since + past tense" is grammatically correct?
That is what I just said. Did you have trouble reading my post?
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Hiya11I did not recognize her because it had been a long time since we were apart.
That is not a good sentence. You need a point in time:

I did not recognize her because it had been a long time since we parted.
Hiya11I mean since it's a past event - 'I did not recognise her', hence 'has been' can be ruled out?
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Mister MicawberThat is what I just said. Did you have trouble reading my post?
I wanted you to confirm because you hadn't told me why it was correct ( because of being commonly used or being grammatical). Besides, in other forums, some native would say the following sentence is correct:
It has been a long time since we haven't met.
Thank you for your e
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Manh NguyenIt has been a long time since we haven't met
You had better stick with EnglishForward. That is a horrible mess.
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Mister MicawberI did not recognize her (YESTERDAY) because it has been a long time since we parted (from parting until NOW).
Yes you were correct! I read your post but 'until now' possibility didn't occur to me and so I added a Question mark at the end to make you clarify further. Also, 'were parted' did not sound correct to
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