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Tenacious Learner Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Saw or had seen

Hi teachers,
The context:
‘Perhaps this shopkeeper can tell us something,’ Adam said.
But the shopkeeper was not helpful. ‘Alex who?’ he said.
‘DINON!’ Felix shouted. He was very tired. ‘He escaped from prison five days ago. Somebody saw him in your shop.’
Question:
The right one is 'b', isn't it?
What made Felix think Alex Dinon might have been in the shop?
a) Somebody saw him there.
b) Somebody had seen him there.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

Both can be used in my opinion. But given the context, B is more appropriate. Had seen - infers that he could have been seen at any time during that 5 day span.

— Grammarfreak

  • Both can be used in my opinion.
  • But given the context, B is more appropriate.
  • Had seen - infers that he could have been seen at any time during that 5 day span.
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8 Answers
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Both can be used in my opinion. But given the context, B is more appropriate. Had seen - infers that he could have been seen at any time during that 5 day span.
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Hello, TL. Emotion: smile

Both are correct. I'd use b.
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grammarfreakBoth can be used in my opinion. But given the context, B is more appropriate. Had seen - infers that he could have been seen at any time during that 5 day span.
Hi grammarfreak,
Thanks for you reply.
I thought it has to be 'had seen' only to backshift tenses from the original quoted sentence. Isn't that a reason too?

TL
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SurferBoth are correct. I'd use b.
Hi Surfer,
Thanks for your reply.Emotion: wink

TL
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Tenacious LearnerI thought it has to be 'had seen' only to backshift tenses from the original quoted sentence. Isn't that a reason too?TL
I personally don't see the relevance of "backshifting" as you indicated. I preferred "past perfect simply for the 5 days mentioned in the context. Even without using past perfect, the core meaning is clearly understood.
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Hi grammarfreak,
Sorry, but I can't see your reply to my question. The one you have posted at 8:50.

TL
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Tenacious LearnerHi grammarfreak,Sorry, but I can't see your reply to my question. The one you have posted at 8:50.
My previous post:
Both can be used in my opinion. But given the context, B is more appropriate. Had seen - infers that he could have been seen at any time during that 5 day span.
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grammarfreak personally don't see the relevance of "backshifting" as you indicated. I preferred "past perfect simply for the 5 days mentioned in the context. Even without using past perfect, the core meaning is clearly understood.
Hi,
Thanks for your reply.

TL
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