0
PreciousJones Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

We saw

We saw yesterday a building that had been blown to pieces. Or

We saw yesterday a building that was blown to pieces.

Are both useable and mean the same thing?

IF so, why use the past perfect?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

". "that had been" would imply that at some point in the past the building was blown up/to pieces. "that was blown" could mean the same thing but is more ambiguous because it could also mean that the building was blown up when you while you were watching.

— Arclyte

  • ".
  • "that had been" would imply that at some point in the past the building was blown up/to pieces.
  • "that was blown" could mean the same thing but is more ambiguous because it could also mean that the building was blown up when you while you were watching.
  • 'It was blown to pieces right before our eyes' vs 'It had been blown up at some point in the past'.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
First, we should rearrange the beginning of the sentence to be "Yesterday we saw...".

"that had been" would imply that at some point in the past the building was blown up/to pieces.

"that was blown" could mean the same thing but is more ambiguous because it could also mean that the building was blown up when you while you were watching.

'It was blown to pieces r
0

Related Questions