Hello Gurus and Members!
A. He looks as if he had been rich.
............
Which does A mean?
1. He looks like he was rich in the past but not rich anymore.
2. He looks like he was rich in the past and we don't know about his current situation.
pructusHello Gurus and Members!
A. He looks as if he had been rich.
............
Which does A mean?1. He looks like he was rich in the past but not rich anymore.
2. He looks like he was rich in the past and we don't know about his current situation.
I'd take it to mean 1. Of course, just by looking at someone, we can't determine how rich he is now, so even just "He looks rich" doesn't tell us his current situation. Looks can be deceptive. As someone once said,
Things are seldom what they seem,
Skim milk masquerades as cream. 
CJ
Comments
B. He looks as if he had committed a crime.
How about the verb is changed into non-stative verb like "commit"?
I don't see any difference between stative and non-stative verbs in this construction. I'd say the same remarks apply as I made above for your first sentence.
There are some signs about this man that suggest that he had previously committed a crime. These can range from blood on his clothes to a guilty look on his face. But as above, we never know because looks can be deceptive.
CJ
Ohhh
Thank you, CJ!
You are a life-saver.