In Simple past^x, Past perfect^x

He bought a parrot that the seller said it would repeat every word he uttered. Contented, he went home and but later found it didn't say a word. Furious, he went back to the owner and asked him what had happened. The owner answered that he had not lied (didn't lie OK??) to the man. The...

This is the use of the past perfect. You use the past perfect when you have two events that happened in the past and you want to put them together in one sentence. The event that happened firts is spoken in past perfect which means you have to use the auxilary "had + verb in past...

My two cents: If you ask me, the term optional may be confusing you. To me, the past perfect tense is not used as frequently as the simple past tense and if you just mean to eat, you use it. It is you who should decide whether the context of your text should give importance to difference...

Hi, Simple Present: I study English Present Continuous: I am studying English Present Perfect: I have studied English Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English Simple Past: I studied English Past Continuous I was studying EnglishPast Perfect: I had studied English Past Perfect...

Simple Present: I study English Present Continuous: I am studying English Present Perfect: I have studied English Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English Simple Past: I studied English Past Perfect: ? Past Prefect Continuous:? Future: I will study English Future Continuous:...

Hello, everyone. One of my grammar books says both past perfect and simple past tense mean the same thing in the following example: When the teacher had arrived, they stopped talking.=When the teacher arrived, they stopped talking. But my another book says they don't mean the same thing. It...

Hello Anonymous,Avoid using the word "would" in the "if" clause of your conditional sentences. Use the present (type 1), simple past (type 2) or past perfect (type 3).

1. Well, "had" is the past tense of the verb "have", but I think you're asking specifically about its use as an auxiliary to form the past perfect tense of other verbs: I played -- simple past tense I have played -- present perfect tense I had played -- past perfect (or...

The condition is that the if clause may be fulfilled. In your sentences it is already impossible to fulfil the if clause making the sentences purely hypothesis. This is known as a type III conditional and is formed thus: if + past perfect + would + have + past participle. A conditional formed...

Unfortunately, we don't have a "past - past perfect." The reference point (from one point of view) is "regretted" - simple past. "Hadn't been kinder" is previous to that. The regretting seems to have followed her death, so the lack of kindness and the...