In Past perfect^x

Hi, How could we tell if a participle in what looks like a past perfect progressive tense is a participle part of the tense or an adjective of a past perfect tense construction? The cook had been making cake all day until he was called by the head chef to do other tasks. -- looks to be a good...

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...

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...

Hi, How could we tell if a participle in what looks like a past perfect progressive tense is a participle part of the tense or an adjective of a past perfect tense construction? The cook had been making cake all day until he was called by the head chef to do other tasks. -- looks to be a good...

That's rather a fundamental question, Lisa. I'll try to say just a few things in the hope that they will help you understand your grammar books. Dealing with a period of time in the past you need to distinguish between 1. a block of time: I worked for three years in Wales - you spent...

My understanding is that if we use " by this Friday", we MUST use present perfect instead of simple present, because it's about a period of time, not a specific time. Am I right about this concept? Can we also use simple present? To be honest with you, I don't know when I can...

Hi, Have you spoken with the guy I had sent you to? Have you spoken with the guy I sent you to? Say #2. You'd only say #1 in some very uncommon kind of context. Clive

Hi Sarah, I gave you very simple rules: If he goes, I will see him Present -> Future If he went, I would see him Past -> Conditional Now you can also say If he hasn't gone, I will see him Present Perfect -> Future If he hadn't gone, I would have seen him Past Perfect...

Don't confuse "had" as the simple past of the verb "to have" with "had" used to form the past perfect. I have a toothache right now. I had a toothache yesterday. I have had a toothache for two days. I had had a toothache for two day before I finally...

Hi, Mary had cooked dinner. Past Perfect tense Mary has cooked dinner. Present Perfect tense Have you studied either of these tenses before? Clive