Finally the shoeshine was finished, and I said, 'It was nice talking to you,' when I suddenly realized that his conversation hadn't been addressed to me. The fact that you want to change the above the way you propose only shows you

Thank you. Can I apply your line of reasoning to this too? You wrote: Again without more context, I think the last example doesn't require past perfect for the opposite, or inverse, reason: only Mr. Sweeney's most recent remark is

"he hadn't seen the article in almost half a century" - I would use past perfect here. The speaker is describing not a single occurrence but a long period during which he has not seen whatever it is. Yesterday, I looked for Dapper

Hi, I was looking at an article named "Metropolitan Diary" DATED October 16, 2000 by ENID NEMY from the New York Times and wonder if the past perfect tenses are absolutely required in some of the situations noted. Passages from the

1. I thought about what you said today and I am going to tell you differently than I had told (told -- OK?? OK. ) you at our last meeting. 2. I took the stuff you mailed home yesterday and found it had been damaged en route to here. I would not

Hi, Can you tell me if the past perfect uses for the following are optional? 1. I thought about what you said today and I am going to tell you differently than I had told (told -- OK??) you at our last meeting. 2. I took the stuff you

He'd only left her a note on the bedside table of which she had not understood the content. This sentence could occur in a short story or novel. It would not likely occur in a casual conversation. Instead, it might be He left her a note on the

Nelson Mandela is a brave man who'd spent years in prison for his convictions. We tend to pay little attention to the proper use of past perfect tense in everyday conversation and get away with simple past without much critique. We all knew

Both conversations are fine. The past perfect ( Had you met Susana before? Yes, I had .) presumes context in which the previous meeting is emphasized.

Hi, I assume that you are talking about what to say when you are saying goodbye to someone, ie atthe end of a conversation. Can I say I'm pleased that I met you instead of I'm pleased to have met you ? Both are OK. Which is more common?