Search results for 'tag:Whom tag:Past perfect' matching tags 'Whom' and 'Past perfect'

past perfect

Taka — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:31:25 GMT

I remember a cycle. It began when I had picked up a book...or even found myself on the telephone with someone towards whom my voice betrayed eagerness, a rush of sympathetic energy. The child (or children) might be absorbed in busyness, in his own dream world; but as soon as he felt me gliding into a world which did not include him, he would come to pull at my hand, ask for help...

If the past perfect in bold were replaced with the simple past as:

I remember a cycle. It began when I picked up a book...or even found myself on the telephone with someone towards whom my voice betrayed eagerness, a rush of sympathetic energy. The child (or children) might be absorbed in busyness, in his own dream world; but as soon as he felt me gliding into a world which did not include him, he would come to pull at my hand, ask for help...

How would the replacement effect the entire passage? Would there be any semantical difference at all? If any, what would it be?

Re: simple past or the past perfect tense

Goodman — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:43:40 GMT

" I told him what I did".
There is nothing wrong with this sentence.
If we discuss events in the distance past, then past perfect no doubt is correct based on absolute grammar rules.
I saw my friend John in the grocery store whom I hadn't seen for years. When I got home I told my wife who I just saw minutes ago in the store.
I see nothing in correct about this.

Re: Past perfect here

Yankee — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:46:43 GMT

Hey, Kooyeen, I didn't say it sounded odd! Quite the contrary. It sounded completely normal. Don't forget I've been an ESL teacher for umpteen years. As a result, my ear is now highly trained to pick up on and take note of these sorts of things. In short, I tend to pay much closer attention to grammar usage than the average person does.

If my niece had used 'whom', on the other hand, that might indeed have raised at least one of my eyebrows.

Re: Past perfect here

Kooyeen — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:34:37 GMT

Whoa! LOL, I didn't think the past perfect was so bad in informal English. I mean, if you noticed it and you were surprised, it must mean it even sounded kind of odd to you! Well, what if she'd used "whom"? Y'woulda pass out? I would...

Anyway, I see. Thanks!

He had collaborated OR he collaborated

Rex — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:35:34 GMT

The Pope has named a new archbishop of Warsaw after Stanislaw Wielgus quit admitting he had collaborated with Poland's communist-era secret police.

Pope Benedict XVI named Kazimierz Nycz, 57, who has been bishop of the Baltic city of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg since 2004.

Bishop Wielgus resigned on 7 January at the service intended to install him as the city's new archbishop.

He admitted spying on fellow clerics, many of whom had opposed the Soviet-backed government in Poland.

Church investigation

Bishop Nycz is thought to have an unblemished record under communist rule.

Bishop Wielgus has apologised for his actions but said he was blackmailed and harassed into co-operating with the secret police.

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Please look at the following sentence of the above.

The Pope has named a new archbishop of Warsaw after Stanislaw Wielgus quit admitting he had collaborated with Poland's communist-era secret police.

When you write 'The Pope has named a new bishop' , it is the present perfect tense. When you write 'he had collaborated with Poland's secret police' , it is the past perfect tense.

Is it proper to write the past perfect here? I think it would be fine to write the simple past tense here. Just he collborated with Poland's secret police is fine.

Your comments please.

Re: confused about past perfect... again

milky — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 13:18:21 GMT

<"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories, before she died">

Better, IMO:

"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories, "

No need for the explicit use of "before she died". Her things have passed through many hands.

See:

The brothers Rosenbach bought Alice's original copy at an auction in 1928, for the equivalent of $74,000. They offered to sell it for the same price to the British Museum, but the museum could not meet the price.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/25/Travel/Hold_history_in_your_.shtml

Etc.

The reason for the use past perfect is to add value to the items at auction. Saying that Alice Liddel had once owned the materials gives more value.

Re: confused about past perfect... again

Marius Hancu — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:44:04 GMT

Lunchbox wrote:
Marius Hancu wrote:
You're right on the first, IMO, BUT: the author might have had in mind the fact that the girl (Alice) had lived before Carroll wrote the story. In that interpretation, he's correct.

It's "Alice in Wonderland" material. So how would it be possible for Alice to have owned "Alice in Wonderland" material before Carroll had written the books?

I initially thought this "material" could be things that once belonged to Alice Liddell, but it seems to be stuff owned by Carroll, perhaps initial manuscripts, etc.

Perhaps the author wanted to say (and this would justify the past perfect):

"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories, before she died"

Re: confused about past perfect... again

milky — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:51:25 GMT

<"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories.">

Hint: did the material go to/get inherited by anyone when Alice Liddell died? Were there other owners (the later past time reference) after her?

Also see this:

Her character in CLOSER is named Alice, and after the film wrapped she gave Nichols and screenwriter Patrick Marbert copies of ALICE IN WONDERLAND that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the young woman who inspirired the title character.

http://www.natalieportman.com/articles/nparticles_en.php?viewarticle=1&article_number=338

confused about past perfect... again

Lunchbox — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:50:00 GMT

"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that had belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories."

Where's the "later past action" here to warrant the use of past perfect in the sentence above? Wouldn't simple past work perfectly fine?

"In this catalogue, you will find Alice in Wonderland material that (once) belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the stories."

Could the reason be because the catalogue had been designed to showcase items that were to be sold at an auction, so obviously everything would've been owned by others before? The auction would serve as the latter past event. But what if the auction hadn't occured yet? Then there would be no reason to use past perfect.

And what of a sentence like this:

"I wish now that I had bought that instead."

There is only one past action referred to in this sentence, so why the past perfect?

Thanks!

Four questions

Rotter — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:18:05 GMT

The blast occurred as locals were on their way to market near Vadamunai, a village about 70km (45 miles) north-west of the town of Batticaloa.

The rebels have blamed the military for the explosion. A military spokesman denied the allegation.

The deaths come a day before rebels and government are to discuss security for truce monitors. Two months of violence have claimed more than 300 lives.

Doctors travelling with an International Committee of the Red Cross escort evacuated some of the injured from rebel-held territory.

Dr S Dakshinamoorthy, senior health officer in Batticaloa district, told the BBC they had received nine of the injured, two of whom had later died en route to hospital.

The other seven were now receiving treatment in Batticaloa. "Among the injured one of them is in a serious condition," he said.

The doctor said villagers had told him a three-month-old girl had escaped with minor injuries in the blast, but her mother had been killed.

Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the security forces had planted the mine.

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1. ... they had received nine of the injured

2. ... The doctor said villagers had told him a three-month old girl had escaped with minor injuries in the blast

3. ... security forces had planted the mine

4. ... two of whom had later died en route to hospital.

All those underlined words are the past perfect tense constructions.

I have changed them into the simple past tense. Please read the following:

5. ... they received nine of the injured

6. ... The doctor said the villagers told him a three-month old girl escaped with minor injuries in the blast

7. ... security forces planted the mine

8. ... two of whom later died en route to hospital.

Is it necessary to write the past perfect tense here? Could you write the simple past tense as I suggested?