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Roro Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Re: past perfect useage
Hello Caeser, let me put my idea as to your first question:
I think [not cleaning the desk] is a state (not an action) which continued for two weeks measured backward from some past point (so I think we need simple past tense in the first half of the sentence...not indefinite past perfect form, I guess).
(I made a comment just for a starter, please correct me when I'm wrong.)
PS. I've just checked this thread:
...and found that my comment on second question is wrong.
Sorry.
I think [not cleaning the desk] is a state (not an action) which continued for two weeks measured backward from some past point (so I think we need simple past tense in the first half of the sentence...not indefinite past perfect form, I guess).
(I made a comment just for a starter, please correct me when I'm wrong.)
PS. I've just checked this thread:
...and found that my comment on second question is wrong.
Sorry.
Top answer
I think that sentence's order is swapped. The clause with the past perfect tense is suppose to occur first, then the other clause. So according to your sentence, you didn't clean your desk FIRST, then you became busy.
- I think that sentence's order is swapped.
- The clause with the past perfect tense is suppose to occur first, then the other clause.
- So according to your sentence, you didn't clean your desk FIRST, then you became busy.
- " I'm not sure if this is correct either but grammatically I think it makes more sense.
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5 Answers
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I think that sentence's order is swapped. The clause with the past perfect tense is suppose to occur first, then the other clause.
So according to your sentence, you didn't clean your desk FIRST, then you became busy.
I think the sentence should read "I didn't have the time to clean my desk because I had been so busy."
I'm not sure if this is correct either but
So according to your sentence, you didn't clean your desk FIRST, then you became busy.
I think the sentence should read "I didn't have the time to clean my desk because I had been so busy."
I'm not sure if this is correct either but
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Hello xsi. Interesting. But then where to put the 'for two weeks'..? can I say, for example:
# I didn't clean my desk for two weeks because I had been so busy.
?? (I'm a learner, I cannot jugde.)
????????????????????????????????????????????????
I gather from the replies in the thread 'Correct use of tenses' started by Caeser, the following two are both correct,?given ap
# I didn't clean my desk for two weeks because I had been so busy.
?? (I'm a learner, I cannot jugde.)
????????????????????????????????????????????????
I gather from the replies in the thread 'Correct use of tenses' started by Caeser, the following two are both correct,?given ap
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The past perfect has two uses -- the past-point-of-view analog to the present perfect and the past-point-of-view analog to the simple past. It is in the second use, not featured here, where concern about the order of the two past events is a little more important.
Why haven't you cleaned your desk? (Why is it not clean now?) Because [I'm so busy / I've been so busy] ([these days /
Why haven't you cleaned your desk? (Why is it not clean now?) Because [I'm so busy / I've been so busy] ([these days /
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Because I was/had been so busy, I hadn't cleaned my desk for two weeks.
??????????????????????????????????????????
[A husband -- to his wife, cleaning his room]
.... Where is that important number I wrote on the dust!?
??????????????????????????????????????????
[A husband -- to his wife, cleaning his room]
.... Where is that important number I wrote on the dust!?
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RoroBecause I was/had been so busy, I hadn't cleaned my desk for two weeks. ?????????????????????????????????????????? [A husband -- to his wife, cleaning his room] .... Where is that important number I wrote on the dust!?
I think using was is correct here. If you use "had been", the audience would not know which event happened first. Were you busy
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