Minutes of meeting - tense

Hi,

If something had been done prior to the meeting and was reported, what tense should I use when writing the minutes?

"A reservation had been made", or "A reservation was made", or "A reservation has been made"?

Often, minutes are written in terms of 'who said what'.

eg Tom said that a reservation was made for 12th. September.



The active v

Thank you so much

N

Clive Hi,


Often, minutes are written in terms of 'who said what'.

eg Tom said that a reservation was made for 12th. September.



The active voice is often seen as simpler and more direct.

eg Tom said that he made a reservaton for 12th. September.



I wouldn't say that the Perfect tenses can't be used, but

Thanks!

How about when the "Tom reported that" part is omitted? (My supervisor considers that part unnecessary)
Should I use the past perfect?

Hmm - not sure. Minutes are a record of what was said at the meeting. The minutes of meetings that I attend always start the paragraph with "X said..", "X told the committee that...", "X reported on the activities of..." etc

If those phrases are omitted, then the writer of the minutes appears to be stating a fact, when really the writer doesn't know whether it's true.

Thanks!