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IreneAdler Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
past simple / past perfect
Hi guys! I'm not a native speaker of English and I'm currently writing a short story in past simple which features characters remembering stuff that happened some time ago. Usually I would use past perfect to refer to that stuff but in this particular story the memories often go on for several paragraphs. It's not like a flashback, meaning not a seperate scene... it's really just integrated into the ongoing current happenings.
Which means that this excessive use of past perfect sounds a bit weird. Maybe that's just me, but it really does. Just an example: If a guy is currently siting on a park bench (past simple) an sees or hears something reminding him of a lengthy conversation from the past and you want to write that conversation down, would you really use "had said", "had answered", "had asked" every single time? Or if a guy remembered his childhood and you want to write about things he used to do, things he would do, would you really put all of that into past perfect - even for several paragraphs? Or is it customary to just go with simple past once it's established when an event took place?
Might be a silly thought, but it's really been tripping me off and I'd appreciate your ideas. Thanks!
Irene
Which means that this excessive use of past perfect sounds a bit weird. Maybe that's just me, but it really does. Just an example: If a guy is currently siting on a park bench (past simple) an sees or hears something reminding him of a lengthy conversation from the past and you want to write that conversation down, would you really use "had said", "had answered", "had asked" every single time? Or if a guy remembered his childhood and you want to write about things he used to do, things he would do, would you really put all of that into past perfect - even for several paragraphs? Or is it customary to just go with simple past once it's established when an event took place?
Might be a silly thought, but it's really been tripping me off and I'd appreciate your ideas. Thanks!
Irene
Top answer
IreneAdler If a guy is currently siting on a park bench (past simple) an sees or hears something reminding him of a lengthy conversation from the past and you want to write that conversation down, would you really use "had said", "had answered", "had asked" every single time? Or if a guy remembered his childhood and you want to write about things he used to do, things he would do, would you really put all of that into past perfect - even for several paragraphs? No.
- IreneAdler If a guy is currently siting on a park bench (past simple) an sees or hears something reminding him of a lengthy conversation from the past and you want to write that conversation down, would you really use "had said", "had answered", "had asked" every single time?
- Or if a guy remembered his childhood and you want to write about things he used to do, things he would do, would you really put all of that into past perfect - even for several paragraphs?
- No.
- Just use simple past.
- We use past perfect with "before" and "after" dependent clauses and where the sequence of several different events would otherwise be unclear.
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IreneAdlerIf a guy is currently siting on a park bench (past simple) an sees or hears something reminding him of a lengthy conversation from the past and you want to write that conversation down, would you really use "had said", "had answered", "had asked" every single time? Or if a guy remembered his childhood and you want to write about things he used to do, things he w
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