0
Abil Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Use of "had"
I am really confused about the use of “had”.
There was another interesting factor that occurred to me. I had always taken the view that Margaret Thatcher, great prime minister though she was, should never have stood in the way of Michael Heseltine becoming leader. It was her determination to stop him that made her withdraw from the leadership contest following the challenge to her, and allow John Major to win. Heseltine had many flaws, but he was a big figure and would have been a far more potent force to deal with. He may also have stopped that Euroceptic virus from taking over the Tories. So I always took the view that she allowed personal preference to stand in the way of her party’s true interests.
This is from Mr. Tony Blair’s Autobiography, A Journey. Page 500.
Here, in the second sentence, he used “had” in saying I had always taken the view that ..... and in the last sentence, he omitted it.
Would you please explain me why this is so?
There was another interesting factor that occurred to me. I had always taken the view that Margaret Thatcher, great prime minister though she was, should never have stood in the way of Michael Heseltine becoming leader. It was her determination to stop him that made her withdraw from the leadership contest following the challenge to her, and allow John Major to win. Heseltine had many flaws, but he was a big figure and would have been a far more potent force to deal with. He may also have stopped that Euroceptic virus from taking over the Tories. So I always took the view that she allowed personal preference to stand in the way of her party’s true interests.
This is from Mr. Tony Blair’s Autobiography, A Journey. Page 500.
Here, in the second sentence, he used “had” in saying I had always taken the view that ..... and in the last sentence, he omitted it.
Would you please explain me why this is so?
Top answer
Hello Abil, In the first sentence the I had always taken the view leads the reader into a discussion of why he had come to take this view, over the period leading up to the time established in the opening sentence. The past perfect tense gives an immediacy to the discussion, by plunging us into his thought processes at the time. At the end the simple past presents his taking the view in the context of a review of his thought processes over the period.
- Hello Abil, In the first sentence the I had always taken the view leads the reader into a discussion of why he had come to take this view, over the period leading up to the time established in the opening sentence.
- The past perfect tense gives an immediacy to the discussion, by plunging us into his thought processes at the time.
- At the end the simple past presents his taking the view in the context of a review of his thought processes over the period.
- We are not plunged into his mind at the time, but consider these decisions from a distanced standpoint, some time after the events.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
Hello Abil,
In the first sentence the I had always taken the view leads the reader into a discussion of why he had come to take this view, over the period leading up to the time established in the opening sentence. The past perfect tense gives an immediacy to the discussion, by plunging us into his thought processes at the time.
At the
In the first sentence the I had always taken the view leads the reader into a discussion of why he had come to take this view, over the period leading up to the time established in the opening sentence. The past perfect tense gives an immediacy to the discussion, by plunging us into his thought processes at the time.
At the
00
Thanks Mr. Thomas for your interpretation, which is quite acceptable. In my view, the first sentence of the passage is what makes the difference. Minus the first sentence, do you think the second sentence would lead the reader into the discussion as you said?
0
Related Questions