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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Past perfect problem, a prize for the answer
A Swiss student came up with the sentence:
I had been in Australia for 1 month before i came to New Zealand (he is in NZ now)
I corrected this to "I WAS in Australia for 1 month....."
I gave a shaky explanation about the past perfect being used to describe an action that happened before another in the past, you're still in NZ so its not a completed action (although why came in the simple past?) and when you have a sequence of events in the past we usually just use the simple past.
But then it struck me that if he had said: "I had been in Australia for 1 month before i WENT to NZ", this to me would seem grammatically fine (when it would not in the CAME example), although we (native speakers) would still usually say "i WAS".
Any suggestions for an explanation to a confused CAE student?
Thanks
I had been in Australia for 1 month before i came to New Zealand (he is in NZ now)
I corrected this to "I WAS in Australia for 1 month....."
I gave a shaky explanation about the past perfect being used to describe an action that happened before another in the past, you're still in NZ so its not a completed action (although why came in the simple past?) and when you have a sequence of events in the past we usually just use the simple past.
But then it struck me that if he had said: "I had been in Australia for 1 month before i WENT to NZ", this to me would seem grammatically fine (when it would not in the CAME example), although we (native speakers) would still usually say "i WAS".
Any suggestions for an explanation to a confused CAE student?
Thanks
Top answer
Here is a thread on this topic: Past Simple or Past Perfect . My position stated there is unchanged. If you 'Search' the forum, you will find other threads also.
- Here is a thread on this topic: Past Simple or Past Perfect .
- My position stated there is unchanged.
- If you 'Search' the forum, you will find other threads also.
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5 Answers
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Here is a thread on this topic: Past Simple or Past Perfect. My position stated there is unchanged. If you 'Search' the forum, you will find other threads also.
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In my opinion, both are correct as isolated sentences. Only context will tell whether one is more appropriate than the other.
With "was", the being in Australia is on the same time line as the coming to NZ; with "had been", the being in Australia is something off the main time line of the narrative and has to be brought in as a secondary event which explains something on the main time line.
With "was", the being in Australia is on the same time line as the coming to NZ; with "had been", the being in Australia is something off the main time line of the narrative and has to be brought in as a secondary event which explains something on the main time line.
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Hello
I'm a learner from Japan. Can I put my 2 cents?
Please suppose 2 cases;
(1) I stayed two nights in New York before I left for Japan.
(2) I had stayed two nights in New York before I left for Japan.
(1) He was an English teacher in Japan before he started the business.
(2) He had been an English teacher in Japan before he
I'm a learner from Japan. Can I put my 2 cents?
Please suppose 2 cases;
(1) I stayed two nights in New York before I left for Japan.
(2) I had stayed two nights in New York before I left for Japan.
(1) He was an English teacher in Japan before he started the business.
(2) He had been an English teacher in Japan before he
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Couldn't we understand
Case 2 (1) as follows: he was working as an E. teacher until the moment he started the business.
and
Case 2 (b) as follows: he had (already) worked as an E. teacher when he started the business, but we have no information as to whether he was still working as such when he started the business.
?
Case 2 (1) as follows: he was working as an E. teacher until the moment he started the business.
and
Case 2 (b) as follows: he had (already) worked as an E. teacher when he started the business, but we have no information as to whether he was still working as such when he started the business.
?
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Wow! I even created a mug of beer! I'll remember that! I'll try for a 
doesn't work...
doesn't work...
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