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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Questions on past perfect and passive past perfect
Hi.
1. For this, would you say the past perfect is necessary and a past tense isn't correct?
He was lame from birth and had never walked.
The next two questions are from definitions of the respective words "detente" and "accursed" from the Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.
2. The definition for "detente":
Detente is a state of friendly relations between two countries when previously there had been problems between them. [FORMAL]
I feel since there what I think I could say sort of the specific time word "previously," the past perfect is not necessary but then what could it be if not that, a past tense or present perfect tense? I think the past perfect tense "had been" kind of tellsus that the problems had been continuing until a certain moment in time (I am not sure I said it correctly) and a past tense would not necessarily depict that (I think).
3. The second of two definitions for "accursed" in the said dictionary:
2. If a person is accursed, they have been cursed. [LITERARY]
Does this mean an accursed person is someone who has been cursed all along (if I said it correctly)0?
1. For this, would you say the past perfect is necessary and a past tense isn't correct?
He was lame from birth and had never walked.
The next two questions are from definitions of the respective words "detente" and "accursed" from the Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.
2. The definition for "detente":
Detente is a state of friendly relations between two countries when previously there had been problems between them. [FORMAL]
I feel since there what I think I could say sort of the specific time word "previously," the past perfect is not necessary but then what could it be if not that, a past tense or present perfect tense? I think the past perfect tense "had been" kind of tellsus that the problems had been continuing until a certain moment in time (I am not sure I said it correctly) and a past tense would not necessarily depict that (I think).
3. The second of two definitions for "accursed" in the said dictionary:
2. If a person is accursed, they have been cursed. [LITERARY]
Does this mean an accursed person is someone who has been cursed all along (if I said it correctly)0?
Top answer
1. " -- you are referring to a particular point in the past in the person's life. The person may be alive or dead.
- 1.
- " -- you are referring to a particular point in the past in the person's life.
- The person may be alive or dead.
- " -- the person is dead and you're referring to his life as a whole.
- " -- the person is alive and you're writing from the perspective of now.
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1 Answers
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1. My take:
"He was/had been lame from birth and had never walked." -- you are referring to a particular point in the past in the person's life. The person may be alive or dead.
"He was lame from birth and never walked." -- the person is dead and you're referring to his life as a whole.
"He has been lame from birth and has never walked." -- the person is alive and you'r
"He was/had been lame from birth and had never walked." -- you are referring to a particular point in the past in the person's life. The person may be alive or dead.
"He was lame from birth and never walked." -- the person is dead and you're referring to his life as a whole.
"He has been lame from birth and has never walked." -- the person is alive and you'r
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