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27 Jul 2012, 13:38
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
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Here's some help on the tricky perfect tense from Magoosh's Chris Lele:
Two of the most confusing tenses in English are the present perfect and the past perfect. This is because both describe continuous actions. To illustrate, let’s take a look at the following sentences:
1. Last night, I walked my dog.
2. I have walked Bucky every night for the last two years.
In the first sentence, I am doing the action, ‘walk’, only once. In the second sentence, I am describing something that has taken place on a number of occasions in the past and continues on till today (meaning tonight I will most likely walk Bucky).
The first tense is the simple past (if you look at my description it is very simple). The perfect tenses, on the other hand, aren’t so simple. To show you what I mean, let’s compare the present and the past.
1. Before I moved to California, I had walked Bucky in the mornings, not at nights.
2. Since moving to California, I have walked Bucky every evening.
The first sentence is an example of the past perfect tense. Notice, like the present perfect, that we have the verb ‘have’ coupled with another verb (which we call the participle).
Why use one tense versus the other? Well, if you notice in the first sentence, I am talking about two events that happened in the past: my walking Bucky and my moving to California. Whenever you are dealing with two events in the past, one of which started or happened before the other, you must use the past perfect tense to describe the event that started first.
First Event: I walked Bucky in the morning = Past Perfect Construction
Second Event: I moved to California = Simple Past
Another way to think of the past perfect is with specific dates. Let’s say I moved to California in 1984. I walked Bucky every morning from 1981 to 1984. The sentence implies that once I moved to California I no longer walked Bucky in the morning. That is, an event that happened repeatedly in the past stopped when another event happened. That interrupting event uses the simple past.
1) The corporation suffered/had suffered from consecutive quarterly losses until it hired/had hired a new CEO.
2) Every Christmas, the CEO granted/has granted employees three days off to celebrate the holidays.
In the first sentence, the event that happened first is the corporation suffering. So we want the past perfect tense: had suffered. The more recent action, the hiring of a new CEO, should be in simple past: hired.
For the second sentence, we want to describe an event that started in the past and continues in the present. So we need to use the present perfect tense: has granted.
Let us know if you have any questions about this, and we would be happy to help!
Present Perfect: Has/have + Participle
Past Perfect: Had + Participle (plus another verb in the Simple Past)
Two of the most confusing tenses in English are the present perfect and the past perfect. This is because both describe continuous actions. To illustrate, let’s take a look at the following sentences:
1. Last night, I walked my dog.
2. I have walked Bucky every night for the last two years.
In the first sentence, I am doing the action, ‘walk’, only once. In the second sentence, I am describing something that has taken place on a number of occasions in the past and continues on till today (meaning tonight I will most likely walk Bucky).
The first tense is the simple past (if you look at my description it is very simple). The perfect tenses, on the other hand, aren’t so simple. To show you what I mean, let’s compare the present and the past.
Present Perfect vs. Past Perfect
1. Before I moved to California, I had walked Bucky in the mornings, not at nights.
2. Since moving to California, I have walked Bucky every evening.
The first sentence is an example of the past perfect tense. Notice, like the present perfect, that we have the verb ‘have’ coupled with another verb (which we call the participle).
Why use one tense versus the other? Well, if you notice in the first sentence, I am talking about two events that happened in the past: my walking Bucky and my moving to California. Whenever you are dealing with two events in the past, one of which started or happened before the other, you must use the past perfect tense to describe the event that started first.
First Event: I walked Bucky in the morning = Past Perfect Construction
Second Event: I moved to California = Simple Past
Another way to think of the past perfect is with specific dates. Let’s say I moved to California in 1984. I walked Bucky every morning from 1981 to 1984. The sentence implies that once I moved to California I no longer walked Bucky in the morning. That is, an event that happened repeatedly in the past stopped when another event happened. That interrupting event uses the simple past.
Practice questions:
1) The corporation suffered/had suffered from consecutive quarterly losses until it hired/had hired a new CEO.
2) Every Christmas, the CEO granted/has granted employees three days off to celebrate the holidays.
In the first sentence, the event that happened first is the corporation suffering. So we want the past perfect tense: had suffered. The more recent action, the hiring of a new CEO, should be in simple past: hired.
For the second sentence, we want to describe an event that started in the past and continues in the present. So we need to use the present perfect tense: has granted.
Key Points
- Present Perfect: Has/Have + Participle = describes action/event that happened in the past and continues in the present.
- Past Perfect: Had + Participle = describes an action/event in the past that happened before another action in the past.
- Whenever we use the past perfect, we must also have another verb in the sentence that is in the simple past.
Let us know if you have any questions about this, and we would be happy to help!
09 Apr 2017, 23:22
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GMAT Ninja
If this is what you are looking for, pl take it and the OA is A
Less than 35 years after the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, their descendants, popularly known as killer bees had migrated as far north as Southern Texas.
A. Less than 35 years after the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
B. In less than 35 years since releasing African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
C. In less than the 35 years since African honeybees had been released outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
D. It took less than 35 years from the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, when
E. It took less than 35 years after the time that African honeybees were released outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then
if this is what you are looking for, pl take it and the OA is A
If this is what you are looking for, pl take it and the OA is A
Less than 35 years after the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, their descendants, popularly known as killer bees had migrated as far north as Southern Texas.
A. Less than 35 years after the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
B. In less than 35 years since releasing African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
C. In less than the 35 years since African honeybees had been released outside Sao Paulo, Brazil,
D. It took less than 35 years from the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, when
E. It took less than 35 years after the time that African honeybees were released outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then
if this is what you are looking for, pl take it and the OA is A
06 Aug 2012, 13:10
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mohan514
So, first of all, what thangvietnam calls the "past perfect continuous" I think I would call the "past perfect progressive" --- e.g.
Before dinner last night, I had been reviewing the accounts in my office.
Yes, that is a grammatically correct sentence, and yes, this construction is sufficiently arcane that you need not worry about it appearing on the GMAT. It is beyond the pale.
As for thangvietnam's claim that "in the sequence of 2 past actions, the latter past action can be replaced with a time frame" ---- I am very skeptical. Yes, in informal conversation, we can say things like
a) I had taken the GMAT before the 2012 spring semester.
b) Before yesterday's fight, I had already bought the flowers.
etc.
but these sentences lack the formalism typical of GMAT SC. I would say: when you see the past perfect used in one clause, expect to see another full clause (independent or subordinate) in which the verb is a regular past tense. For example:
OG12 SC #3 (a question dropped in the OG13)
Although various .... poets had professed ..... it was not until 1900 when scholars and critics began .....
had professed = past perfect tense
began = simple past tense
Each appears in a clause of its own.
Finally, I agree with thangvietnam's claim: "past perfect never is used to show an action which begin in the past and continue in to another past action." Yes. When the GMAT is asking you to sort out simple past vs. past perfect, it will make it clear and unambiguous which one was the previous action. You will not have to deal with the grammar of one past action starting earlier and running into another past action ---- yes, there are correct ways to discuss such things, but again, that's far to arcane, and the GMAT doesn't touch it.
Does this answer all the questions? Please let me know if either of you, or anyone else reading this, has any more questions.
Mike
General Discussion
03 Aug 2012, 08:36
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great
I suplement some point.
according to Gmat Grammar Book by gmatclub, past perfect continuous can shows an action which begin in the past and continue into another past action. But gmat dose not test this point. forget this point.
in the sequence of 2 past actions, the latter past action can be replaced with a time frame. for example
I had succeeded gmat by JUne 2012.
is correct sentence on gmat.
past perfect never is used to show an action which begin in the past and continue in to another past action. It seems that question 3 or 13 og 12 test this point.
pls, comment/confirm.
I suplement some point.
according to Gmat Grammar Book by gmatclub, past perfect continuous can shows an action which begin in the past and continue into another past action. But gmat dose not test this point. forget this point.
in the sequence of 2 past actions, the latter past action can be replaced with a time frame. for example
I had succeeded gmat by JUne 2012.
is correct sentence on gmat.
past perfect never is used to show an action which begin in the past and continue in to another past action. It seems that question 3 or 13 og 12 test this point.
pls, comment/confirm.
