Using past perfect tense without any past tense clause in the sentence.
I was asking for a book recommendation from someone and I began like this:
I'm an autodidact and had embarked on completing B.Sc. level Mathematics
The first clause of the first line: "I'm an autodidact" is in present tense and the second clause "had embarked on ..." is in past perfect tense. I made no reference to any past tense, but I meant to say "at some time in past, I had decided to embark on completing the B.Sc. level Mathematics"
Was I correct in using "had" in my original sentence?
Top answer
Hall Was I correct in using "had" in my original sentence? No. I see where you're coming from, but a verb tense alone is not enough; it is just puzzling.
- Hall Was I correct in using "had" in my original sentence?
- No.
- I see where you're coming from, but a verb tense alone is not enough; it is just puzzling.
- Also, contractions are taboo in formal writing, you can't "embark on gerund ", the two thoughts belong in separate sentences, and you can't leave the reader to wonder what became of your attempt to do math.
- I would go splash some cold water on my face and come back and try again.
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HallWas I correct in using "had" in my original sentence?
No. I see where you're coming from, but a verb tense alone is not enough; it is just puzzling. Also, contractions are taboo in formal writing, you can't "embark on gerund", the two thoughts belong in separate sentences, and you can't leave the reader to wonder what became of your attempt to do
0HallWas I correct in using "had" in my original sentence?
It sounds wrong. Still, occasionally the past perfect is used before the anchor point in the past is established, so you might have that anchor in the very next sentence or two. Who knows? This is all you've given us to look at, so it's impossible to say. If this is the whole message, however, an
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