0
English 1b3 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Past Perfect and Past Simple
The toddler is recovering in hospital after the near-tragedy.
a. She had been playing with siblings in a bedroom moments before she was believed to have fallen around 5m from a balcony.
b. She was playing with siblings in a bedroom moments before she was believed to have fallen around 5m from a balcony.
Which do you prefer and why? The original used the past perfect.
I feel 'before she was believed...' already tells the reader the playing happened prior to her playing.
Thank you
a. She had been playing with siblings in a bedroom moments before she was believed to have fallen around 5m from a balcony.
b. She was playing with siblings in a bedroom moments before she was believed to have fallen around 5m from a balcony.
Which do you prefer and why? The original used the past perfect.
I feel 'before she was believed...' already tells the reader the playing happened prior to her playing.
Thank you
Top answer
The past perfect is a dependent tense, so by its nature it makes the situation expressed in its clause fade into the background compared to the rest of the story. It seems to me that this is probably part of a news story about a horrifying fall from a balcony, not a story about children playing in a bedroom. Therefore, a , with the past perfect, which keeps the children's play in the background, seems more appropriate.
- The past perfect is a dependent tense, so by its nature it makes the situation expressed in its clause fade into the background compared to the rest of the story.
- It seems to me that this is probably part of a news story about a horrifying fall from a balcony, not a story about children playing in a bedroom.
- Therefore, a , with the past perfect, which keeps the children's play in the background, seems more appropriate.
- Sometimes the placement of focus is more important than the time sequence.
- CJ
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
The past perfect is a dependent tense, so by its nature it makes the situation expressed in its clause fade into the background compared to the rest of the story.
It seems to me that this is probably part of a news story about a horrifying fall from a balcony, not a story about children playing in a bedroom. Therefore, a, with the past perfect, which keeps the children's play in t
It seems to me that this is probably part of a news story about a horrifying fall from a balcony, not a story about children playing in a bedroom. Therefore, a, with the past perfect, which keeps the children's play in t
00
There are two issues here: grammar, and style.
The two events, 'playing' and 'falling' are in their correct sequence in time. So - why start with Past Perfect?
That's style!
The Past Perfect is used to signal a sudden change in events; and in your sentence, the normality of the children playing sudden turns into disaster.
“I had gone t
The two events, 'playing' and 'falling' are in their correct sequence in time. So - why start with Past Perfect?
That's style!
The Past Perfect is used to signal a sudden change in events; and in your sentence, the normality of the children playing sudden turns into disaster.
“I had gone t
0
Related Questions