The paradigm of the verb in the past perfect

§ 38. In all its uses the past perfect denotes actions the beginning of which (always) and the end (usually) precede a certain moment of time in the past. The prepast period of time to which the actions in the past perfect refer is unlimited, that is, they may take place either immediately before some moment in the past or in the very remote past.

This tense is used with both actional and statal verbs. Its sphere of application is mainly that of narratives, though it is also used in conversation.

The past perfect is used:

To denote an action of which both the beginning and the end precede some moment of time in the past. This moment can be specified by an adverbial of time, or by another action, or else by the situation.

What should be borne in mind is that the use of the past perfect form is in itself a sufficient indication of the precedence of the denoted action to some moment in the past which therefore need not be specified.

He had finished his work by then.

I knew him a little: we had met in Rome a year before.

She felt wretched. She had not slept for two nights.

I opened the window. The rain had stopped, but the sharp east wind was still blowing.

After everybody had left, she rushed to her room and began packing hurriedly.

2. To denote an action in progress which began before a certain moment of time in the past and went on up to that moment and sometimes into it. In such cases either the starting point of the action is specified (by means of the adverb since, a prepositional phrase with since or an adverbial clause introduced by the conjunction since), or the period during which the action was in progress (by various adverbials):

a) with statal verbs, which do not normally allow of continuous forms:

He had been away for some months before his first letter came.

They had thought it over and over again since that dinner.

I could not believe the rumour. I had known him for a good many years.

b) with some actional durative verbs (in the similar way as with the past perfect continuous).

When we first met she had lived in the country for two years and was quite happy.

And thus he had sat in his chair till the clock in the hall chimed midnight.

Since her mother's death she had slept in the comer room.

In this case the past perfect continuous can also be used, though with a slight difference of meaning: while the past perfect lays the stress on the mere fact that the action took place, the past perfect continuous accentuates the duration of the action.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 944