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Believer

#421544 Thu, 20 Sep 07 11:22 AM

Please answer the following questions.

1. Is this the correct use of a semicolon? I don't think the clause after the semicolon can stand on its own.

When did you last hear about it? Some said never; others said not since they left home.

2. Why is it have to be past perfect? Is that because there is the word 'before'? How does it affect? I think the past tense would work well too. Can the present perfect tense work here?

1. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they had never imagined before.

I think this can be rewritten into this:

2. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they never imagined before.

3. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they never have imagined until now.

Believer

Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006

Contributing Member (1,968)

Tenses, Clauses, Past perfect, Colons, Present perfect, Past tenses, Semicolons

Mister Micawber

#421663 Thu, 20 Sep 07 03:10 PM

1. When did you last hear about it? Some said never; others said not since they left home. -- The semicolon is fine; both are independent clauses. Look at them this way: Some said, 'Never'; others said, 'Not since we left home'.

2.--1. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they had never imagined before. -- The past perfect stresses the previousness of the earlier imaginings.

2--2. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they never imagined before. -- OK too, but without the emphasis indicated in #1.

2--3. It can be used to help parents reach their children in ways they have never imagined until now. -- Also fine, but of course with an emphasis on more recent imaginings.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (20,394)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Clauses, Past perfect, Colons, Semicolons

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