2
   

Past Perfect Continuous or Past Continuous

 
 
Reply Tue 25 Sep, 2012 02:02 am
Good morning! I would like to ask about past tenses. Is this sentence "This woman had been keeping to a diet from May till July last year" correct (Past Perfect Continuous) or I should use Past Continuous "This woman was keeping to a diet from May till July last year". What time should I use when there is not a shorter action or precise moment, and there is a period of time in the past (from May till July last year for example)? Thanks a lot!
  • Topic Stats
  • Top Replies
  • Link to this Topic
Type: Question • Score: 2 • Views: 1,645 • Replies: 3
No top replies

 
Hieronymus Rex
 
  0  
Reply Tue 25 Sep, 2012 03:47 am
@duhashostka,
Past perfect continuous should be used to show something started in the past and ended in the past. Go with that.
duhashostka
 
  0  
Reply Tue 25 Sep, 2012 06:18 am
@Hieronymus Rex,
Is my sentence with Past Perfect Continuous correct? Are you a native English speaker? Thanks. Waiting for your reply!
0 Replies
 
JTT
 
  1  
Reply Tue 25 Sep, 2012 09:38 pm
@duhashostka,
It's not really a matter of correct, Duhashostka. The issue is whether the context warrants using a certain structure

Why not simply use the simple past?

"This woman kept to a diet from May till July last year" .

Usually there is some reason that we choose the PPC or the PC.

"This woman had been keeping to a diet from May till July last year when she unexplicably fell into a coma.

"This woman was keeping to a [specific] diet from May till July last year until she developed serious health problems"


0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

deal - Question by WBYeats
Let pupils abandon spelling rules, says academic - Discussion by Robert Gentel
Please, I need help. - Question by imsak
Is this sentence grammatically correct? - Question by Sydney-Strock
"come from" - Question by mcook
concentrated - Question by WBYeats
 
  1. Forums
  2. » Past Perfect Continuous or Past Continuous
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.07 seconds on 04/27/2024 at 06:08:16