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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

why past perfect?

In the Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionary, for the defintional entry for the word "ointment". there is a phrase example that contains the word "ointment" and it is this:

If you describe someone or something as a fly in the ointment, you think they spoil a situation and spoil a situation and prevent it being as successful as you had hoped.

Why does it have to be "had hoped" at the end if it had to be that -- why not just "hoped"?
  

Top answer

Hi, In the Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionary, for the defintional entry for the word "ointment". there is a phrase example that contains the word "ointment" and it is this: If you describe someone or something as a fly in the ointment , you think they spoil a situation and spoil a situation and prevent it being as successful as you had hoped. Why does it have to be "had hoped" at the end if it had to be that -- why not just "hoped"?

— Clive

  • Hi, In the Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionary, for the defintional entry for the word "ointment".
  • there is a phrase example that contains the word "ointment" and it is this: If you describe someone or something as a fly in the ointment , you think they spoil a situation and spoil a situation and prevent it being as successful as you had hoped.
  • Why does it have to be "had hoped" at the end if it had to be that -- why not just "hoped"?
  • The writer uses 'had hoped' because he wants to stress that the situation occurred in the past and it was before that time that you hoped for success.
  • The Simple Past, 'hoped', would also be acceptable here, as the meaning would still be easy to see.
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1 Answers
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Hi,
In the Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionary, for the defintional entry for the word "ointment". there is a phrase example that contains the word "ointment" and it is this:

If you describe someone or something as a fly in the ointment, you think they spoil a situation and spoil a situation and prevent it being as successful as you had hoped.
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