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Mkyol Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Use of [had + past participle] form by itself in what's supposedly a sentence in past perfect tense
The following is a line from a documentary film: "The Rockerafella fortune had begun over a hundred years earlier with Nelson's grandfather, John D Rockafella, the founder of the Standard Oil Corporation."
I'm confused about the use of "had" there. The source of my confusion stems from the fact that sentence is not in the usual past perfect tense with both [verb + ed] form and [had + past participle] form present -- it just has the latter.
I was thinking that maybe the lines that come before it or after it provide a time reference point for the "had." The previous lines before it are not directly relevant to this sentence as the sentence changes the topic, so I don't think they have anything to do with it as far as my question goes. The sentences that come after it are:
"The Rockefella's rise had an unlikely hertiage. John D's father, William, Big Bill Rockefeller was also in the oil business -- snake oil that is."
I don't think these provide that time reference point, which makes me that that the sentence is "stand-alone," or independent, meaning it does not need any other sentences other than itself to justify the use of "had."
So what is the reason for the use of the "had" in the sentence? I have an inkling -- is it "over a hundred years earlier" that provide that reference point in a bit of tricky way? And is it perfectly fine to do without the use of "had"? Does it add a flair of style in a sense to the sentence by use of the "had"?
I'm confused about the use of "had" there. The source of my confusion stems from the fact that sentence is not in the usual past perfect tense with both [verb + ed] form and [had + past participle] form present -- it just has the latter.
I was thinking that maybe the lines that come before it or after it provide a time reference point for the "had." The previous lines before it are not directly relevant to this sentence as the sentence changes the topic, so I don't think they have anything to do with it as far as my question goes. The sentences that come after it are:
"The Rockefella's rise had an unlikely hertiage. John D's father, William, Big Bill Rockefeller was also in the oil business -- snake oil that is."
I don't think these provide that time reference point, which makes me that that the sentence is "stand-alone," or independent, meaning it does not need any other sentences other than itself to justify the use of "had."
So what is the reason for the use of the "had" in the sentence? I have an inkling -- is it "over a hundred years earlier" that provide that reference point in a bit of tricky way? And is it perfectly fine to do without the use of "had"? Does it add a flair of style in a sense to the sentence by use of the "had"?
Top answer
Hi, A sentence containing only a past perfect verb suggests an earlier time in the past. In the above example it could be over a hundred years but I think a broader context would probably answer that question. " I guess it implicitly suggests an earlier time, (there was Nelson and there had been his grandfather before him).
- Hi, A sentence containing only a past perfect verb suggests an earlier time in the past.
- In the above example it could be over a hundred years but I think a broader context would probably answer that question.
- " I guess it implicitly suggests an earlier time, (there was Nelson and there had been his grandfather before him).
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1 Answers
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Hi,
A sentence containing only a past perfect verb suggests an earlier time in the past. In the above example it could be over a hundred years but I think a broader context would probably answer that question.
"The Rockerafella fortune had begun over a hundred years earlier with Nelson's grandfather, John D Rockafella, the founder of the Standard Oil Corporation."
A sentence containing only a past perfect verb suggests an earlier time in the past. In the above example it could be over a hundred years but I think a broader context would probably answer that question.
"The Rockerafella fortune had begun over a hundred years earlier with Nelson's grandfather, John D Rockafella, the founder of the Standard Oil Corporation."
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