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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Past perfect and habit in the past

I would like to express that I used to go to bed before my father came home in my childhood, so, can "I had already gone to bed when my father came home" be said? Is it possible to use the past perfect for habit in the past?
  

Top answer

Anonymous Is it possible to use the past perfect for habit in the past? Yes, but not without some appropriate adverbs, perhaps: All through my childhood I had already gone to bed when my father came home. Without the adverbial phrase it sounds like a one-time event.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous Is it possible to use the past perfect for habit in the past?
  • Yes, but not without some appropriate adverbs, perhaps: All through my childhood I had already gone to bed when my father came home.
  • Without the adverbial phrase it sounds like a one-time event.
  • Also, When I was a child I always used to be in bed before my father came home , though that doesn't use a past perfect.
  • CJ
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5 Answers
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AnonymousIs it possible to use the past perfect for habit in the past?
Yes, but not without some appropriate adverbs, perhaps:

All through my childhood I had already gone to bed when my father came home.

Without the adverbial phrase it sounds like a one-time event.

Also, When I was a child I always used to be in bed before
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I can understand better now, thanks a lot.
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Here I would like to ask something about the "one-time event vs habit" issue. I think all the tenses and the modal "will" can be used to express habits (in the past or present) with some appropriate adverbs or by context, is that right?
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I think, yes, that's that's right. Thank you.
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It should be "that's right", not "that's that's right, sorry Emotion: smile Thank you.
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