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KhoshtipMan Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Past tense

Hi,

In the sentence:

By 2008, the percentage of students choosing science subjects decreased/had decreased markedly.

I chose past simple (decreased).

Which one is correct please, and why?

  

Top answer

"had decreased" is the better choice. ". The "now" of the sentence is visualised to be 2008, and the decrease happened before this, so the past perfect is indicated.

— GPY

  • "had decreased" is the better choice.
  • ".
  • The "now" of the sentence is visualised to be 2008, and the decrease happened before this, so the past perfect is indicated.
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1 Answers
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"had decreased" is the better choice. This is governed by "By 2008, ...". The "now" of the sentence is visualised to be 2008, and the decrease happened before this, so the past perfect is indicated.

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