Perhaps a shirt is untucked, shoes unlaced, buttons misbuttoned?
0 Replies
Francis
1
Reply
Thu 8 Sep, 2005 01:21 pm
Or they slept in a garbage can?
0 Replies
Letty
1
Reply
Thu 8 Sep, 2005 01:35 pm
or they were in dishabile and bedraggled because they had spent the night in a garbage can.
0 Replies
Lord Ellpus
1
Reply
Thu 8 Sep, 2005 01:38 pm
Or the husband arrved home unexpectedly?
0 Replies
Letty
1
Reply
Thu 8 Sep, 2005 01:43 pm
Welcome to A2K, malicious. Pay no attention to the Brit and the Frenchman. They are just having some delicious fun.
0 Replies
MaliciousMazeh
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 05:17 am
I take it they DO know I'm talking about "hadn't had" That sounds so wrong, but maybe it's just me?
0 Replies
Setanta
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 05:22 am
"Hadn't had" (had not had) is the anterior past--it refers to a time before the past time in which the actions is located.
I arrived late, and i hadn't had time to prepare my customary brilliant summary.
The phrase: "I arrived late"--takes place in the past. The phrase "hadn't had time" refers to an earlier phase of the past, an anterior past.
0 Replies
Letty
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 10:08 am
The anterior past, Setanta? Now that's a new one on me.
Incidentally, delicious malicious. "Had" can be a main verb or a helping verb. I agree though, without the negative transformation, it is awkward:
"They had had time" Definitely a walrus. <smile>
0 Replies
MaliciousMazeh
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 02:54 pm
Yet another thing we really haven't learned about in school. Pathetic, I think.
But yet, thanks again, Letty... You're funny.
0 Replies
Letty
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 03:02 pm
You're quite welcome, M.M. Let us know how things work out.
0 Replies
Setanta
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 03:07 pm
Miss Letty, that you've not heard of the anterior past does not mean that it does not exist.
Past preterite, anterior past and past pluperfect are all acceptable terms for such a construction.
0 Replies
Setanta
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 03:09 pm
Wikipedia wrote:
The pluperfect tense (from Latin: plus quam perfectum more than perfect) is a perfective tense that exists in most Indo-European languages, used to refer to an event that has completed before another past action.
In the sentence "The blind man, who knew that he had risen, motioned him to sit down again" (from Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge), "he had risen" is an example of the pluperfect tense.
0 Replies
Letty
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 03:14 pm
Ah, yes, Setanta. I remember the plu perfect from Latin. Hey, buddy. What do you mean? If I haven't heard of it, it doesn't exist.
Believe it or not, I still remember how to decline a noun.
0 Replies
Setanta
1
Reply
Fri 9 Sep, 2005 03:16 pm
I declined a noun once, and in retaliation, she kicked me in the goodies . . .
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace