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Akdom Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Past Perfect share auxiliary HAD ?

1. Before they arrived, I had finished cooking and had set up the table.

2. Before they arrived, I had finished cooking and set up the table.

When using past perfect in the main clause, do I use "had" before all past particles? or can they share the auxiliry "had"?

3. Costumed in a kimono, our waitress had painted her face white and arranged her hair in an upswept lacquered beehive.

How about #3, the one with a participial phrase in the begining? Does #3 make sense? Grammatically correct?
  

Top answer

1 & 2-- They can share the auxiliary so long as the meaning is commonsensical and the verbs are truly parallel. 3-- Fine.

  • 1 & 2-- They can share the auxiliary so long as the meaning is commonsensical and the verbs are truly parallel.
  • 3-- Fine.
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1 Answers
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1 & 2-- They can share the auxiliary so long as the meaning is commonsensical and the verbs are truly parallel.

3-- Fine.

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