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Necrophagist Posted 8 years ago
Grammar
Past perfect or simple
It was a small shelf, since the books were wedged between a jar of crystallized ginger and the china shepherdess that Tiffany had won at a fair when she was six.
This is an excerpt from 'The Wee Free Man'.
Why was the past perfect used here when we the sequence of events is clear because of 'when she was six'? Would it be just as correct to use the past simple?
This is an excerpt from 'The Wee Free Man'.
Why was the past perfect used here when we the sequence of events is clear because of 'when she was six'? Would it be just as correct to use the past simple?
Top answer
"had won" is used because "won" happened further back in time, relative to the "now" of the narrative. It would of course be understandable with the simple past, but the sentence is better with the past perfect, in my opinion. Necrophagist 'The Wee Free Man' Shouldn't that be "Men"?
- "had won" is used because "won" happened further back in time, relative to the "now" of the narrative.
- It would of course be understandable with the simple past, but the sentence is better with the past perfect, in my opinion.
- Necrophagist 'The Wee Free Man' Shouldn't that be "Men"?
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1 Answers
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"had won" is used because "won" happened further back in time, relative to the "now" of the narrative. It would of course be understandable with the simple past, but the sentence is better with the past perfect, in my opinion.
Necrophagist'The Wee Free Man'
Shouldn't that be "Men"?
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