0
Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

When I HAD ENTERED the room, I found a cat.

0I'd happy if someone would answer my question.Thanks in advvance.02br
02br
00Concerning the sentence: When I HAD ENTERED the room, I found a cat.02br
02br
00Is 'had entered" used as the usage of Pluperfect as in "I returned the book I HAD BORROWED from the library"? Or as the transformation of Present Perfect, as in "The train HAD already LEFT before we got to the station?0-
  

Top answer

0The two usages you mention must be a holdover from your native language; I have never noticed the distinction in English. 02br 02br 02i 00 0-

— Mister Micawber

  • 0The two usages you mention must be a holdover from your native language; I have never noticed the distinction in English.
  • 02br 02br 02i 00 0-
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.

6 Answers
0
0The two usages you mention must be a holdover from your native language; I have never noticed the distinction in English. The word 'pluperfect' is not normally used in discussing the English verb, but is equivalent to 'past perfect'.02br
02br
00Both of your sentences can be transformed to present perfect-- if there is any need to do so:02br
02br
01i0
0
0
0 01blockquote
00(1) When I HAD ENTERED the room, I found a cat.12br
10(2) When I enter11b10ed12b10 the room, I found a cat.12br
12blockquote
10Hi, Mister Mic! Could you tell me what's the difference between 1 and 2? Which is more natural? Does (2) not have the risk of being interpreted as meaning "While I was in t
0
0
0My reaction is that #2 is the usual, because the past events are in expected order: 'I entered the room, and after doing so, I found a cat there'. The use of past perfect in #1 is a forced use for some particular purpose, and here I would suggest that the speaker might want for some reason to make it clear that s/he entered the room a relatively long time before eventually discovering his fel
0
0
0 Thanks Mister Mic! [<:o)]Your our wisdom! 02br
02br
00For leaners, here's a related thread:02br
02br
05000 0260hrefhttp://www.EnglishForward.com/English/WhenBefore/vhwgd/Post.htm
0
0
0>When I HAD ENTERED the room, I found a cat.02br
02br
00 Entering the room is 01b00too short02b00 a process to justify the past perfect. 0-
0
0
0Duration has nothing to do with its usage, Marius.02br
02br
01i00McClellan would not state when the President first learned that Cheney had shot Whittington.02br
00The 29-year-old, who was openly gay, had died of a heart attack during ***.02br
02br
02i00 0-
0

Related Questions