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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Narratives: Past Perfect Tense
Hello,
I was wondering why the past perfect tense is common in narratives in books. Is it because the writer imagines that the reader would only be able to read the book some time after he finishes writing it? Thus, the later past reference point for the the past pefect tense is when the book was written, and also the past perfect tense makes sense at the time a person is reading the book?
I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this.
I was wondering why the past perfect tense is common in narratives in books. Is it because the writer imagines that the reader would only be able to read the book some time after he finishes writing it? Thus, the later past reference point for the the past pefect tense is when the book was written, and also the past perfect tense makes sense at the time a person is reading the book?
I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this.
Top answer
No, not at all. Past perfect appears in books only when 2 past points in the narrative are being set in order. It is more common in books than in speech because it is a rather formal verb form which requires structural planning (something we don't often do in speaking).
- No, not at all.
- Past perfect appears in books only when 2 past points in the narrative are being set in order.
- It is more common in books than in speech because it is a rather formal verb form which requires structural planning (something we don't often do in speaking).
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1 Answers
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No, not at all. Past perfect appears in books only when 2 past points in the narrative are being set in order. It is more common in books than in speech because it is a rather formal verb form which requires structural planning (something we don't often do in speaking).
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