Grammar
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Past Perfect (When to Use)
In this page we examine the Past Perfect Tense in a detail: what it actually means and how it is used. Some illustrative extracts from English literature are given below.
Example 1:
Vincent Van Gogh is talking with his cousin Kay in Amsterdam.
Kay: What are you thinking about, Cousin? You seem preoccupied.
Vincent: I was thinking that Rembrandt would have liked to paint you.
Kay: Rembrandt only like to paint ugly old women, didn’t he?
Vincent: No. He painted beautiful old women, women who were poor or in some way unhappy, but who through sorrow had gained a soul.
Kay: Forgive me for being stupid. I understand what you mean about Rembrandt. He gets at the real essence of beauty, doesn’t he, when he paints those gnarled old people who have suffering and defeat carved into their faces.
- Future Perfect How To Use
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → How to Use Past Perfect Read and understand the following explanations on usage of Future Perfect tense and then examine illustrative examples from Classics. 1. The Future Perfect expresses an action accomplished...
- Using Future Indefinite Tense Through Dialogues
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Using Future Indefinite This page shows different ways of using the Future Indefinite Tense (or Simple Future) through dialogues from English literature. The Future Indefinite expresses an action that will take place...
- Using Past Indefinite Through Dialogues
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Using Past Indefinite This page shows different ways of using the Past Indefinite (or Simple Past) through dialogues from English literature. I The Past Indefinite is used to express a single action completed...
- The Perfect Continuous Tenses
The Perfect Continuous Tenses: grammar rules, examples and using. (In English, the perfect continuous tenses can also be called the perfect progressive tenses.) present perfect continuous past perfect continuous future perfect continuous The Present...
- The Perfect Tenses
The Perfect Tenses: grammar rules, examples and when to use. present perfect past perfect future perfect The Present Perfect The Formation of the Present Perfectauxiliary verb to have (have/has) + Participle II (the present tense of the verb...
Grammar
When to Use Past Perfect Tense
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Past Perfect (When to Use)
In this page we examine the Past Perfect Tense in a detail: what it actually means and how it is used. Some illustrative extracts from English literature are given below.
Past Perfect expresses an action accomplished before a given past moment and viewed back from the past moment. It may be a single point action, an action of some duration or a recurrent action. The time of the action in most cases is not indicated. Here are some examples (1, 2).
Example 1:
Vincent Van Gogh is talking with his cousin Kay in Amsterdam.
Kay: What are you thinking about, Cousin? You seem preoccupied.
Vincent: I was thinking that Rembrandt would have liked to paint you.
Kay: Rembrandt only like to paint ugly old women, didn’t he?
Vincent: No. He painted beautiful old women, women who were poor or in some way unhappy, but who through sorrow had gained a soul.
Kay: Forgive me for being stupid. I understand what you mean about Rembrandt. He gets at the real essence of beauty, doesn’t he, when he paints those gnarled old people who have suffering and defeat carved into their faces.
(I. Stone. Lust for Life)
Read more »
loading...
- Future Perfect How To Use
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → How to Use Past Perfect Read and understand the following explanations on usage of Future Perfect tense and then examine illustrative examples from Classics. 1. The Future Perfect expresses an action accomplished...
- Using Future Indefinite Tense Through Dialogues
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Using Future Indefinite This page shows different ways of using the Future Indefinite Tense (or Simple Future) through dialogues from English literature. The Future Indefinite expresses an action that will take place...
- Using Past Indefinite Through Dialogues
Contents → Grammar in Dialogues → Using Past Indefinite This page shows different ways of using the Past Indefinite (or Simple Past) through dialogues from English literature. I The Past Indefinite is used to express a single action completed...
- The Perfect Continuous Tenses
The Perfect Continuous Tenses: grammar rules, examples and using. (In English, the perfect continuous tenses can also be called the perfect progressive tenses.) present perfect continuous past perfect continuous future perfect continuous The Present...
- The Perfect Tenses
The Perfect Tenses: grammar rules, examples and when to use. present perfect past perfect future perfect The Present Perfect The Formation of the Present Perfectauxiliary verb to have (have/has) + Participle II (the present tense of the verb...