Past tense ambiguity
Talking about an event that happened years ago
'When I turned 19, I went to work for my uncle at his farm to get some extra money.'
'As a child, I had been very lazy and I had talked back whenever my parents had asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.'
or
'As a child, I was very lazy and I talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.'
Are both correct? Of course, these sentences are a continuation of the story, not 'independent thoughts', if you know what I mean.
Top answer
1. As a child, I had been very lazy and I had talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust. The following example is correct: 2.
- 1.
- As a child, I had been very lazy and I had talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.
- The following example is correct: 2.
- As a child, I was very lazy and I talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.
- The second example is better.
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1. As a child, I had been very lazy and I had talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.
The following example is correct:
2. As a child, I was very lazy and I talked back whenever my parents asked me to do something, so it was hard for me to adjust.
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