0
Paul Evdokimov Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Past simple or past perfect
Hi there!
Please put the verbs in the correct forms and explain your choice:
I __ (look) for them everywhere until it occured to me that they ___ (already/check in) and they ___ ( w ait) for me in the departure lounge.
Thanks in advance.
Please put the verbs in the correct forms and explain your choice:
I __ (look) for them everywhere until it occured to me that they ___ (already/check in) and they ___ ( w ait) for me in the departure lounge.
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
I looked for them everywhere until it occurred to me that they had already checked in and they were waiting for me in the departure lounge. looked for them, past tense to cover a general time before the reference time of the story, which we may take to be when you started looking. had checked in, past perfect to indicate that the checking in was completed some time in the past.
- I looked for them everywhere until it occurred to me that they had already checked in and they were waiting for me in the departure lounge.
- looked for them, past tense to cover a general time before the reference time of the story, which we may take to be when you started looking.
- had checked in, past perfect to indicate that the checking in was completed some time in the past.
- Note that your looking could have happened any time in the past -- before, during, or after they checked in up to the moment you found them and stopped looking.
- were waiting, past progressive to indicate that while you looked for them in the past, they were performing the ongoing action of waiting.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
I looked for them everywhere until it occurred to me that they had already checked in and they were waiting for me in the departure lounge.
looked for them, past tense to cover a general time before the reference time of the story, which we may take to be when you started looking.
had checked in, past perfect to indicate that the checking in was completed some time in the past.
looked for them, past tense to cover a general time before the reference time of the story, which we may take to be when you started looking.
had checked in, past perfect to indicate that the checking in was completed some time in the past.
00
Thanks, deadrat. I was wondering whether the past perfect continuous would be correct in some parts, namely:
a) I looked for them everywhere until it occurred to me that they had already checked in and they HAD BEEN waiting for me in the departure lounge.
The reason for that is they started to wait before something occured to me ('earlier' past).
b) I HAD BEEN LOOKING for
a) I looked for them everywhere until it occurred to me that they had already checked in and they HAD BEEN waiting for me in the departure lounge.
The reason for that is they started to wait before something occured to me ('earlier' past).
b) I HAD BEEN LOOKING for
00
a) The "they had been waiting" means that they'd stopped waiting at some point while you were looking.
b) The "I had been looking" works for the reason you gave.
However, no native speaker of American English would fail to understand either a) or b). Things like this only appear on grammar tests.
b) The "I had been looking" works for the reason you gave.
However, no native speaker of American English would fail to understand either a) or b). Things like this only appear on grammar tests.
0
Related Questions