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Ask for help > Is this correct?
Is this correct?
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blunderbuster
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Is this correct?
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Hi there,
I am not sure if the tenses in this sentence can be combined like this:
"She had already talked to a professional horse trainer before and drove down to Florida with her."
I believe so.
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3 Aug 2010
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lisa.weix
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I can�t find any fault in the tenses ... I�d say they are correct :) The sentence doesn�t sound really smooth somehow, but it�s not the tenses, I think. Maybe it�s the "and" I don�t like so much here... How about making two sentences out of one? Just my humble opinion ... ;)
Have a nice day :)!
Elisabeth.
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3 Aug 2010
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mkosior
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Gramatically speaking, the sentence is just fine. It is simply taken out of context, and that �s why may sound a bit weird. |
3 Aug 2010
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juliag
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Hi Regina,
Is the driving down to Florida together also a previous action?
If so, I would probably say:
She had already talked to a professional horse trainer and driven down to Florida with her.
Or was the talking together the previous act in which they set up driving down to Florida together?
In which case I would probably say:
She had already talked to a professional horse trainer and arranged to drive down to Florida with her.
I feel the sentence is not quite clear as it stands. Hope this helps, but if you need amy more suggestions just PM me.
Hugs
Julia |
3 Aug 2010
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blunderbuster
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Hi Lisa, danke ;o)
Well, you are right, I wouldn �t normally say it like that, it is just that I am making a comprehensive exam for one student and this is part of a tenses gap-fill......
EDIT: The others were faster, thanks everyone. Jules: It is on its way ;o)
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3 Aug 2010
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douglas
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had talked, had driven (my opinion) |
3 Aug 2010
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yanogator
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I �m guessing that if Douglas had written more, he might have said that the "and" implies that the actions were approximately at the same time, so they should be in the same tense (Apologies if I �m guessing incorrectly). This explanation agrees with Elisabeth about "and" not working well in the sentence.
Bruce |
3 Aug 2010
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kodora
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If it is not a set sentence I would suggest:After she had talked to a professional horse trainer she drove down to Florida with her.
Dora
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3 Aug 2010
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blunderbuster
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Ok, my problem is I cannot publish the whole text here because it is for an official test and, by contract, I am not allowed to publish tests ahead of time.
What I wanted to say is this: She heard about guide horses. She talked to a horse trainer (when she still had her guide dog). Her dog died. She drove to Florida with the dog trainer. Under these circumstances, the above sentence would be correct, right?
Julia has been very helpful via pm, but I am happy to hear all other suggestions.
Regards
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3 Aug 2010
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yanogator
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I still don �t like "and" in the sentence. In my opinion, it isn �t right.
Bruce |
3 Aug 2010
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Flora1
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In my opinion, It is correct. |
3 Aug 2010
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