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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Linguistics Studies
Was playing/Had been playing?
Hello! I am a university student of Applied Linguistics.
My questions concerns the difference in usage of Past Progressive and Past Perfect Progressive.
''But if she was playing/had been playing in a hockey match today, wouldn't she have told you yesterday?''
I was told that the difference here is that one of the options makes the question rhetorical (the second one, it seems). I need to find a proper explanation for why it is so. Thank you in advance!
My questions concerns the difference in usage of Past Progressive and Past Perfect Progressive.
''But if she was playing/had been playing in a hockey match today, wouldn't she have told you yesterday?''
I was told that the difference here is that one of the options makes the question rhetorical (the second one, it seems). I need to find a proper explanation for why it is so. Thank you in advance!
Top answer
I wouldn't use the term 'rhetorical', but past perfect there makes it clear that she did not play. With past, she may or may not have done so.
- I wouldn't use the term 'rhetorical', but past perfect there makes it clear that she did not play.
- With past, she may or may not have done so.
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2 Answers
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I wouldn't use the term 'rhetorical', but past perfect there makes it clear that she did not play. With past, she may or may not have done so.
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