In Past perfect^x, American English^x, Simple past^x

"I wondered whether you could help me?", Simple past, completed action. This is not present tense, but I suppose the "past time" could be one second ago. I don't use this. "I had wondered whether you could help me?" Past perfect tense. The action (wonder)...

1 . I wonder who is making / was making that dreadful row . - are both versions possible? Yes. If you are talking about the noise going on now, use "is" but if you are talking about that noise you hear last night, for example, use "was." 2 . After he had eaten an enormous dinner, he...

What do you think about patterns with both clauses in simple past? They are among the most useful, I think, and they sound quite natural. See previous post. No. had already is common in that context, but just already is also fine in American English. Personally, I would have chosen had...

3/ What's the difference between : I would like to see it VS I should like to see it. In American English, you do not use "I should" to mean "I would like to," which translates roughly into "Please, may I see it." I'm sure you can construct a situation in which you'd say "I should like to...

That's correct, Abbie. The past participles are 'gotten' and 'forgotten' in AmE. Nevertheless, the idiom "have got" to mean simply "have" takes "got", not "gotten". I have (got) a computer on my desk just now. I am using it to respond to this question. I have gotten/bought a computer this...

Dear Jim, I have a very big problem. I' m not sure if the following sentences are correct.. I know that the wish structure requires a simple past, usually were, had and modals such as could. But what happen if I need to use other verbs such as go, buy and so on; Is it possible to say I wish I...

I am not a teacher but I'll try: 1. "called" in the past perfect and simple past operate in the usual rules, ex: He called me yesterday. He had called me before. Though there is some leeway, so that informally I wouldn't consider "He'd called me yesterday" to be wrong. 2. I think...

I've posted this in another thread: would + base form of verb = simple conditional (would go) would + have + past participle = perfect conditional (would have gone) Both are usually seen in conditional sentences Types II and III. Type II: "If it started to rain now, I would stay at home." ...