Comment
L.G.Alexander wrote the following in his book "Excel in English":We can use the past perfect to describe the first of two actions. With before we have a number of possibilities, according to the speaker's viewpoint:
A) The patient died before the doctor had arrived.
B) The patient had died before the doctor had arrived.
What's the difference between A and B, or what's the speaker's viewpoint?
(In B we have two past perfect tenses)
PM: You might say that the past perfect in B) is redundant because the past/anterior meaning is conveyed by "before".
The following are sentences taken from articles online:
Why 'being' not 'having been' is used:
Thank you for (being) a valued subscriber since November 9, 2012.
Why 'being' not 'having been' is used:Thank you for (being) a valued subscriber since November 9, 2012.
PM: There’s not much to choose between them, but there is no real need for the perfect here. The addressee’s status is made clear in the clause "being a valued subscriber since November 9, 2012", and the phrase "thank you" is simply expressing gratitude for the subscriber’s patronage.
Why 'is' not 'are' is used:(a)"There (is) an emotional component and a logical component".
(b) "Only happiness and joy (is) outpouring from the experience"
PM: "There" as subject typically takes a singular verb when the predicate complement comprises a coordination of singular noun phrases. So singular "is" is the correct verb-form in (a).
In (b), where the subject is a coordination of non-count nouns, plural verb agreement is required, so "are" is correct.
Which is correct :A) It’s a while since I’ve done a recommendation.
B) It’s been a while since I did a recommendation.
PM: B) is correct.
I hope you (have enjoyed or enjoyed) this newsletter.PM: A degree of current relevance is expressed with the perfect "have enjoyed"; perhaps the addressee read the newsletter only today. The past "enjoyed" implies that your enjoyment existed at some more distant time, perhaps last week or last month or even longer ago.
Is it correct to say " He will be too happy to answer any questions."I know 'too…to' is used with negative adjectives.
PM: You should include "only": "He will be ONLY too happy to answer any questions".
PAULM