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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Time confusion

Hi,

This is the eg: X had agreed after having considered the man's struggle earlier on.

The meaning I intend is: X agreed after he considered the man's earlier struggle.

But since 'earlier on' comes toward the end in my eg sentence, would that be a problem?

Regards,
X
  

Top answer

Anonymous X had agreed after having considered the man's struggle earlier on. To my ear, it's a problem. Your second version makes the three time frames clear: the struggling, the considering, and the agreeing.

— Avangi

  • Anonymous X had agreed after having considered the man's struggle earlier on.
  • To my ear, it's a problem.
  • Your second version makes the three time frames clear: the struggling, the considering, and the agreeing.
  • The first one is ambiguous as to time.
  • "Earlier on" could refer to the considering, possibly making the struggling and the considering contemporaneous.
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3 Answers
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Anonymous X had agreed after having considered the man's struggle earlier on.

X agreed after he considered the man's earlier struggle.To my ear, it's a problem.
Your second version makes the three time frames clear: the struggling, the considering, and the agreeing.

The first one is ambiguous as to time.
"Earlier on" could refer
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Thanks, Avangi. But is the first one at least grammatically okay?
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AnonymousBut is the first one at least grammatically okay?
Yes, it is. Emotion: nodding
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