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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Past perfect tense

Hi

I have some questions about past perfect tense.

When we arrived, the film had started.

So, what if there were multiple actions, like four or five? And all that just in one sentence?

What if I leave out had: When we arrived, the fim started.

I know this doesn't make sense, but why?
  

Top answer

When we arrived, the film had started . So, what if there were multiple actions, like four or five? -- Well, let's see your sentence, then.

— Mister Micawber

  • When we arrived, the film had started .
  • So, what if there were multiple actions, like four or five?
  • -- Well, let's see your sentence, then.
  • What if I leave out had: When we arrived, the film started .
  • - - It makes perfect sense; it is just a different meaning.
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25 Answers
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When we arrived, the film had started. So, what if there were multiple actions, like four or five? And all that just in one sentence?-- Well, let's see your sentence, then.

What if I leave out had: When we arrived, the film started. I know this doesn't make sense, but why?-- It makes perfect sense; it is just a different meaning. Here, the film started after you a
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Mister MicawberWhen we arrived, the film had started. So, what if there were multiple actions, like four or five? And all that just in one sentence?-- Well, let's see your sentence, then.
Something like this: When we arrived, the film had started, and the man who works there already(had?) turned off the lights.
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You can do it two ways, Dusan:

When we arrived, the film had started, and the man who works there already had already turned off the lights.
When we arrived, the projectionist had already turned off the lights and started the film.
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Okay.

I saw this sentence couple days ago on some tv show: I hadn't had *** in years. ( but she had, night before that)

Why she didn't say: I didn't have *** in years?
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And here's another one from some other tv show:

We dated for a long time, but then I got pregnant and I guess for two 19-years-olds it was just too much to handle so we broke up.

Whe she didn't say: We'd been dating for a long time, but then I'd got pregnant and I guess.....the rest.

?
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Dusan StojilkovicOkay.I saw this sentence couple days ago on some tv show: I hadn't had *** in years. ( but she had, night before that)
Dusan Stojilkovic Why she didn't say: I didn't have *** in years? It may be understood, but it is not grammatical
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About the second, I don't get it. Why she didn't use perfect?

And one observation, I saw this sentence: I lost my keys. (He didn't have keys at that moment)
I'm pretty sure that he should've used present perfect, because he didn't have keys at that moment.

And that just confuses me sometimes.
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Finally, my first class had arrived.

There's no two events in this sentence.

Oh, this tense is just killing me.
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Dusan StojilkovicAbout the second, I don't get it. Why she didn't use perfect?
Dusan Stojilkovic,
We want to help you but you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of past perfect. Google can help.
Although it may be possible but it is not common to use past perfect on the 2nd event.
Dusan Stojilkovic I lost my keys
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1: A completed action before something else in the past.
2: To explain or give a reason for something in the past.
3: Something that started in the past and continued up to another action in the past.
4: As part of the third conditional.

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