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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Past perfect in events order

Hi,

"Syrian TV said troops had reached the outskirts of the town after securing
nearby villages..." (From the BBC web site.)

My question concerns the chronology of actions described in the sentence and using the past perfect here.

The sequence of events is obvious: 1. Securing nearby villages, 2. reaching the outskirts of the town. Wouldn't it be 'more' grammatical if expressed like that: "Syrian TV said troops reached the outskirts of the town after having secured nearby villages..."?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

In both sentences the securing of the surrounding villages preceeded the arrival of troops on the outskirts of the town. To me, both say the same thing.

— JohnParis

  • In both sentences the securing of the surrounding villages preceeded the arrival of troops on the outskirts of the town.
  • To me, both say the same thing.
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4 Answers
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In both sentences the securing of the surrounding villages preceeded the arrival of troops on the outskirts of the town. To me, both say the same thing.
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The speaker probably used the past perfect because both of the events being reported happened before "Syrian TV said.."
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That's an excellent answer from Philip.
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PhilipThe speaker probably used the past perfect because both of the events being reported happened before "Syrian TV said.."
Hi,

Thank you, Philip, for your useful reply. I see now, it is said in reported speech and one could write it this way:

Syrian TV said: "Troops have reached the outskirts of the town after securing nearby villages..."
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