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Odyssey Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

What's wrong with this sentence?

Wrong sentence = At the station I realized I left the tickets at home

My correction = At the station, I realized I had left the tickets at home

Should it be: I realized I have left the tickets at home

Should it be had or have?

and I think the tense is past perfect but if someone could give me a good definition of past perfect, that would be great because I keep mixing it up with the present perfect.

Thank you
  

Top answer

"At the station, I realized I had left the tickets at home" is the right version, for the reason that you state, as the whole narrative is in the past, the "had left" (past perfect) helps to show sequencing. " cos they are still "there" at that point in the story!

— Suzi

  • "At the station, I realized I had left the tickets at home" is the right version, for the reason that you state, as the whole narrative is in the past, the "had left" (past perfect) helps to show sequencing.
  • " cos they are still "there" at that point in the story!
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1 Answers
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"At the station, I realized I had left the tickets at home" is the right version, for the reason that you state, as the whole narrative is in the past, the "had left" (past perfect) helps to show sequencing.

If we were at the station together and you were talking to me, you would say "I have left the tickets at home ..." cos they are still "there" at that point in the story!
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