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Kevin X Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
The verb tenses used with "by the time"
Hi guys,
Here is a sentence from Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach,"
And by the time James had pulled off the last boot of all and had lined them up in a row on the floor, the Centipede was fast asleep.
From what I have learned, I would have made it this way,
And by the time James pulled off the last boot of all and lined them up in a row on the floor, the Centipede had been fast asleep.
Could anyone please help me with this?
Thanks a lot!
Here is a sentence from Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach,"
And by the time James had pulled off the last boot of all and had lined them up in a row on the floor, the Centipede was fast asleep.
From what I have learned, I would have made it this way,
And by the time James pulled off the last boot of all and lined them up in a row on the floor, the Centipede had been fast asleep.
Could anyone please help me with this?
Thanks a lot!
Top answer
The changes don't read correctly to me. "By the time" doesn't fit with "the Centipede had been", because the Centipede's action in a perfect tense is past linked with present. It implies that the Centipede was asleep before "by the time".
- The changes don't read correctly to me.
- "By the time" doesn't fit with "the Centipede had been", because the Centipede's action in a perfect tense is past linked with present.
- It implies that the Centipede was asleep before "by the time".
- It's like saying: At 4:30pm, the Centipede had been asleep.
- It doesn't fit because there is only one time frame, while perfect tense needs more of a time frame than that.
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5 Answers
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The changes don't read correctly to me. "By the time" doesn't fit with "the Centipede had been", because the Centipede's action in a perfect tense is past linked with present. It implies that the Centipede was asleep before "by the time".
It's like saying: At 4:30pm, the Centipede had been asleep.
It doesn't fit because there is only one time frame, while perfect tense needs mor
It's like saying: At 4:30pm, the Centipede had been asleep.
It doesn't fit because there is only one time frame, while perfect tense needs mor
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Thanks Vorpar,
I can understand your point. My confusion is mostly on the perfect tense of "pull" and "line."
Don't we say,
By the time I got home, my parents had left for Canada.
Or should it be,
By the time I had gotten home,my parents left for Canada.
That's what I'm confused about.
I can understand your point. My confusion is mostly on the perfect tense of "pull" and "line."
Don't we say,
By the time I got home, my parents had left for Canada.
Or should it be,
By the time I had gotten home,my parents left for Canada.
That's what I'm confused about.
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Dahl uses the perfect tense to show the order of actions. Perfect tenses can show the first action(s) in a sequence.
Sometime between James' starting and finishing the tasks, the Centipede fell asleep.
Your first example works, because your parents left while you were returning home.
The second example doesn't work, because the leaving for Canada occurred before the retu
Sometime between James' starting and finishing the tasks, the Centipede fell asleep.
Your first example works, because your parents left while you were returning home.
The second example doesn't work, because the leaving for Canada occurred before the retu
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VorparDahl uses the perfect tense to show the order of actions. Perfect tenses can show the first action(s) in a sequence.That's exactly where I'm confused.
The centipetde fell asleep before James finished his wok wih the boots, but the tense fit accordingly.
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