0
Aya-san Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Questions about tense
The following sentences are from my English workbook.
Q1. I found the room much smaller than I ( expect).
The answer in the book was
( had expected).
But can I also say
( was expecting) or ( expected) ?
Q2.My uncle told me that my father ( be) very naughty when he was a child.
The answer was ( had been)
Can I also say ( used to be) or (was) ?
Q1. I found the room much smaller than I ( expect).
The answer in the book was
( had expected).
But can I also say
( was expecting) or ( expected) ?
Q2.My uncle told me that my father ( be) very naughty when he was a child.
The answer was ( had been)
Can I also say ( used to be) or (was) ?
Top answer
None of these are incorrect. In your first question, "was expecting" is the passive voice; "had expected" is the past perfect; "expected" is the simple past. Each has its purposes.
- None of these are incorrect.
- In your first question, "was expecting" is the passive voice; "had expected" is the past perfect; "expected" is the simple past.
- Each has its purposes.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
10 Answers
0
None of these are incorrect. In your first question, "was expecting" is the passive voice; "had expected" is the past perfect; "expected" is the simple past. Each has its purposes.
00
ArchaicAnd what would you consider those purposes to be in the above contexts?
None of these are incorrect. In your first question, "was expecting" is the passive voice; "had expected" is the past perfect; "expected" is the simple past. Each has its purposes.
00
Hello Aya
I'd agree that your own answers are also correct. I would go so far as to say that this sentence:
1. My uncle told me that my father had been very naughty when he was a child.
is less idiomatic than this one:
2. My uncle told me that my father was very naughty when he was a child.
In #1, the past perfect gives me a sense of "one-off" naughtine
I'd agree that your own answers are also correct. I would go so far as to say that this sentence:
1. My uncle told me that my father had been very naughty when he was a child.
is less idiomatic than this one:
2. My uncle told me that my father was very naughty when he was a child.
In #1, the past perfect gives me a sense of "one-off" naughtine
00
MrPedantic1. My uncle told me that my father had been very naughty when he was a child.Would you say that your "one-off" reading is due to the adjectiv
In #1, the past perfect gives me a sense of "one-off" naughtiness (i.e. he was only naughty only once); whereas #2 gives the (presumably) required sense of habitual naughtiness.
MrP
00
Hello Milky, I haven't seen you for a while.
Yes, you could be right; perhaps because "naughty" is often found with a present perfect ("he's been very naughty again today", etc.), which when reported becomes our past perfect.
As for the other three sentences: I find "had been" uncomfortable in such examples, and prefer to replace it with "was".
But that's only my perso
Yes, you could be right; perhaps because "naughty" is often found with a present perfect ("he's been very naughty again today", etc.), which when reported becomes our past perfect.
As for the other three sentences: I find "had been" uncomfortable in such examples, and prefer to replace it with "was".
But that's only my perso
00
Hi,
I found the room much smaller than I was expecting. This is active rather than passive, is it not?
Best wishes, Clive
I found the room much smaller than I was expecting. This is active rather than passive, is it not?
Best wishes, Clive
00
Hi teachers
Thank you very much for the explanations!
I'm happy to know that my own answers are also correct.
Thank you very much for the explanations!
I'm happy to know that my own answers are also correct.
00
0
Which one, please? "Was expecting"? It's not passive, it's a progressive form in the simple past.
00
No, sorry, Archaic – I don't see any passives either. These are the passive versions:
"I was expected"
"I had been expected"
"I was being expected"
MrP
"I was expected"
"I had been expected"
"I was being expected"
MrP
0
Related Questions