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Behappy123 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Was vs had been
Hi, could you tell me what is the difference between these 2 sentences:
It was less than a month since he was there last. and
It had been less than a month since he was there last.
Thank you.
It was less than a month since he was there last. and
It had been less than a month since he was there last.
Thank you.
Top answer
behappy123 what is the difference You would use them in slightly different contexts. The first is in the past anchored in present time. The second is in the past of the past, that is, in the past anchored in past time.
- behappy123 what is the difference You would use them in slightly different contexts.
- The first is in the past anchored in present time.
- The second is in the past of the past, that is, in the past anchored in past time.
- It is these anchor points, or reference points, that make these different.
- The second might be used if you were telling a story about this place where he was, maybe describing things about it (in the past tense), and then you wanted to say something about when he had been there (before the time you are describing) as a secondary point you wanted to make.
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4 Answers
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behappy123what is the differenceYou would use them in slightly different contexts. The first is in the past anchored in present time. The second is in the past of the past, that is, in the past anchored in past time. It is these anchor points, or reference points, that make these different.
The second might be used if you were telling a story abou
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Thanks for your explanation.
But can you explain more about the 1st sentence (since you only talked about the second)?
The 1st one is the original one that I get from a novel, the whole novel is in past tense writing so I thought it should be "had been".
But can you explain more about the 1st sentence (since you only talked about the second)?
The 1st one is the original one that I get from a novel, the whole novel is in past tense writing so I thought it should be "had been".
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behappy123But can you explain more about the 1st sentenceThe idea is that you would use the first sentence whenever you have no special reason to use the second.
The past often substitutes for the past perfect, so it's not surprising that you found it written that way in the novel.
CJ
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