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ESL forum > Ask for help > Perfect tense    

Perfect tense



qismat
Pakistan

Perfect tense
 
Plz guide which is the correct sentence 1.When he reached home, mother had slept. 2.When he had reached home, mother had slept.

3 Oct 2019      





sinister44
Turkey

Of course, the 1st sentence is correct because the act of his reaching home was after the mother�s sleep. When you compare two past events/actions and want to show that one event/action is the earlier, you have to use "past perfect simple" structure.

3 Oct 2019     



douglas
United States

The first, but i would use "mother was sleeping"--the pp doesn�t seem to fit right in that clause.
 

4 Oct 2019     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

Douglas, it means something different. It means his mother had had her sleep. When he got home, she was awake, after having slept. 

4 Oct 2019     



yanogator
United States

You are correct, Lynne, but, like Douglas, I don�t think that is what gismat intended. We might be wrong about that, of course.
 
My guess, which is similar to Douglas�s, is that it should be "When he reached home, his mother had gone to sleep," which does use the past perfect. 
 
Bruce 

4 Oct 2019     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

@ Bruce , ah...  yes, I think that is what is intended. 

4 Oct 2019     



nawfel
Algeria

cunliffe What makes you say that she was awake, after having slept. ???Nothing in this context allows us for such a statement.
Warm regards

7 Oct 2019     



douglas
United States

I�m sorry Nawfel, but Lynne is right to have seen it that way:
 
Mother had slept (and was now awake, well-rested, and ready to start  the adventure ahead of her).
 

8 Oct 2019     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

Thanks Douglas, yes that is right. Probably not what the poster intended, though, as you pointed out and we agreed. 

8 Oct 2019