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PreciousJones Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Past perfect(one sentence)

Things were going great. On the last night of our family reunion two years ago, my 60 year old father and I walked along a beach in South Carolina, glasses of wine in our hands, and soaked in the warm air, the full moon, and the gravity of the years. I'm my dad's first child and only son, now married with three kids, a career, and a mortgage. From the surf, we could both see his grandchildren silhouetted in the glowing windows of the rented beach house. The moment for a toast had arrived. And that when my dad started talking about the Tea party.

Why is it the had arrived and not just arrived?

How do you know when to use the past perfect in this case?

Thank you!
  

Top answer

PreciousJones Why is it the had arrived and not just arrived? It's a stylistic device to show the reader that the toast had always been assumed to be something that would eventually happen during this reunion scene. The toast was something that the participants in the story were (more or less unconsciously) expecting (or "waiting for") in the natural course of events.

— CalifJim

  • PreciousJones Why is it the had arrived and not just arrived?
  • It's a stylistic device to show the reader that the toast had always been assumed to be something that would eventually happen during this reunion scene.
  • The toast was something that the participants in the story were (more or less unconsciously) expecting (or "waiting for") in the natural course of events.
  • It's like saying, They were waiting for it, and then (before they knew it) it had finally come.
  • PreciousJones How do you know when to use the past perfect in this case?
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3 Answers
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PreciousJonesWhy is it the had arrived and not just arrived?
It's a stylistic device to show the reader that the toast had always been assumed to be something that would eventually happen during this reunion scene. The toast was something that the participants in the story were (more or less unconsciously) expecting (or "waiting for") in the natural course of
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CalifJim PreciousJonesWhy is it the had arrived and not just arrived?It's a stylistic device to show the reader that the toast had always been assumed to be something that would eventually happen during this reunion scene. The toast was something that the participants in the story were (more or less unconsciously) expecting (or "waiting for") in the natural course of even
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PreciousJonesIf they were expecting for the toast to happen, wouldn't they be conscious of it?
We could debate the psychology of this for weeks, and it's not important for understanding the grammar anyway!
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