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HanJH Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

until

Hi,

They didn't know each other until I introduced them.

In this sentece, we know that they knew each other after being introduced.

So, how about in the following sentence:

He didn't write a letter until he had finished his work.

In this case, can we be sure that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
Or, can we just suppose that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?

Thanks,
  

Top answer

HanJH He didn't write a letter until he had finished his work . In this case, can we be sure that he wrote a letter after he finished his work? Or, can we just suppose that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?

— RayH

  • HanJH He didn't write a letter until he had finished his work .
  • In this case, can we be sure that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
  • Or, can we just suppose that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
  • I would take this to mean that he definitely wrote a letter.
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6 Answers
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HanJH He didn't write a letter until he had finished his work.

In this case, can we be sure that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
Or, can we just suppose that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
I would take this to mean that he definitely wrote a letter.
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HanJHIn this case, can we be sure that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
Or, can we just suppose that he wrote a letter after he finished his work?
Normally we assume that he wrote the letter. The combination of negation with until shows that the timing is negated, not the action itself. It's like saying:
He wrote a letter, bu
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Hi teachers,

Could you possibly tell me whether there is any difference between the past simple and past perfect in this sentence:

They did not know each other until I introduced them.(simple past)

They did not know each other until I had introduced them.(past perfect)

Thank you in advance
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They both mean the same thing. I would estimate that the simple past is more commonly chosen by native speakers in this situation.
CJ
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Thank you very much Califjim
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Hi

The only correct sentence is:They had not known each other until I introduced them.

We have the case of duration in the past (not knowing each ather) before something(introducing them) took place.
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