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Autor:  Polibius
E-mail:  não-disponível
Data:  04/JAN/2013 11:19 AM
Assunto:  past perfect
 
Mensagem:  The problem with grammar is that the more we analyse it the richer it becomes. I remember one exercise at university that we manipulated the text ver froms so that it had a different flavor, the choice of verb tenses is more to do with subtleties than rules, in this case the rules simply try to capture what someone is trying to convey and surely sometimes some forms won't do. 

And also I rushed into explanation without giving it a better thought, I'll correct myself now.

Bob and I just got engaged, so we went to a jewelry store to buy a wedding ring. 

----[get engaged]----------------------[go to a jewlry store]------------------------->

We see a sequence of events, but also notice that the events are tied, we could paraphrase the sentence as we went to a jewlry store (that day) because we had got engaged, one (go to a jewlry store) is consequence of the other (get engaged). 

We had just chosen a ring when a man with a gun came in.

----[choose a ring]----------------------[a man came in]------------------------->

Indeed we have a sequence of events, but one (choose a ring) is not consequence of the other (a man came in). If we say we (just) chose a ring when a man with a gun came in, we are implying that the choice was made because of the man's appearence, and clearly that's not the case, so the first action finishes and then the second starts, they are not connected, one that happened earlier had to finish for the other to start. 

Kind of complex I know, but that's what we get when we delve into the realms of grammar.


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Índice de mensagens

 English Made in Brazil -- English, Portuguese, & contrastive linguistics
past perfect   –  Marcela  03/JAN/2013, 5:29 PM
past perfect   –  Polibius  03/JAN/2013, 8:53 PM
past perfect   –  Marcela  03/JAN/2013, 11:09 PM
 past perfect   –  Polibius  04/JAN/2013, 11:19 AM
past perfect   –  Sidney  04/JAN/2013, 12:34 PM
past perfect   –  Ricardo - EMB  04/JAN/2013, 1:52 PM
past perfect   –  Polibius  04/JAN/2013, 3:22 PM
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