Princess Diana’s dresses set the standard for all fashion houses in Eu

'before' is used explicitly. So the past perfect tense isn't required. But is it true when we have two separate sentences ?
@Daagh/@generis - please help me here.

Regards,
Arup

[quote="Bunuel"]Princess Diana’s dresses set the standard for all fashion houses in Europe. Such a thing didn’t happen before or since.

A. didn’t happen before or..."happen" should be "happened"...Incorrect
B. had neither happened before or...not parallel....Incorrect
C. didn’t happen before and hasn’t happened....Same as A...Incorrect
D. hasn’t happened either before or......incorrect tense
E. hadn’t happened before and hasn’t happened...correct

Ans E

Dear GC Verbal Experts could you please help to understand difference between C and E?
When we have 'before indicator is it necessary to use Past Perfect?

Bunuel
Please clarify why to choose E over C as before is explicitly stated and hence sets the timeline straight.
"Didn't happen before the standards were set by her."

Could you please explain the meaning and structure of this sentence.
Thank you in advance.

"Princess Diana’s dresses set the standard for all fashion houses in Europe" is a past event. The meaning of the second sentence conveys two things:
1. that such a setting of standard had not happened before Diana's dresses set the standard (X before Y) and
2. that such a setting of standard has not happened since Diana's dresses set the standard (Z since Y)

The difference between options C and E is the proper referencing of the time of the event "Y".

Option C - "didn’t happen before and hasn’t happened"
In this option, "didn’t happen before" uses "before" and is ambiguous about not referencing the time properly. Is it before "now" or before the event Y?

Option E - "hadn’t happened before and hasn’t happened"
Hadn't happened by its grammatical nature should reference something before a "past" event. In this case, the only past event is Y.

Hope this helps.

Princess Diana’s dresses set the standard for all fashion houses in Europe. Such a thing didn’t happen before or since.

A. didn’t happen before or This expands to read "didn't happen before or didn't happen since". The usage of "didn't happen" for "since" is incorrect since it continues to be true today. We should use present perfect form (has not happened since). Eliminate.

B. had neither happened before or Same error as (A). "Had not happened since" is incorrect. Also, "neither X nor Y" is the correct usage. Eliminate.

C. didn’t happen before and hasn’t happened This is tempting. However, the "before" portion refers to the period before Princess Diana, ie; a reference in time in the past. This shows the order of occurrence of two events in the past and requires the usage of past perfect tense (had not happened). Eliminate.

D. hasn’t happened either before or Same error as (C). Usage of present perfect for "before" is incorrect. We should use the past perfect form "had not". Eliminate.

E. hadn’t happened before and hasn’t happened Correct answer. Uses past perfect for "before" and present perfect for "since". No new errors introduced.

Hope this helps.

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