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§ 8. The Past Indefinite and the Present Perfect.

An action expressed by the Past Indefinite belongs exclusively to the sphere of the past, while the Present Perfect shows that a past occurrence is connected with the present time.

She is not well and has changed very much of late.

She changed very much a great many years ago. (Dickens)

The Present Perfect is never used with such adverbial modifiers of the past time as yesterday, the other day, last week, etc. With such adverbial modifiers as today, this week, etc. both the Present Perfect and the Past Indefinite are used. The tenses are used according to the principle mentioned above.

I have told you three times this week that she is coming home for a year. (Dreiser)

I want your sister, the woman who gave me money today. (Dickens)

With the adverb just the Present Perfect is used.

I have just hired a new pianist from St. Joe—a Negro. (Dreiser)

With the expression just now the Past Indefinite is used.

I saw you come in just now. (Dreiser)

Just now is less frequent than just.

The Past Perfect

§ 9. The use of the Past Perfect.

1. The Past Perfect denotes an action completed before a certain moment in the past. The moment may be indicated by another past action expressed by a verb in the Past Indefinite or by an adverbial phrase.

After she had cried out, she felt easier. (Heym)

Fortunately the rain had stopped before we started. (Bennett)

By this time he had written Aileen under no circumstances to try to see him. (Dreiser)

The definite moment can be understood from the situation.

The Squire had laid down his knife and fork, and was staring at his son in amazement. (Eliot)

The Past Perfect is used with the conjunctions hardly... when, scarcely... when, no sooner... than.

Mrs. Winthrop had no sooner left the room than they began to gossip about her. (Austen)

Не успела миссис Уинтроп выйти из комнаты, как они начали сплетничать о ней.

Mr. Jenkins had hardly begun his speech when he was interrupted. (Austen)

Едва мистер Дженкинс начал свою речь, как его перебили. (Austen)

For the sake of emphasis the word order may be inverted.

No sooner had Mrs. Winthrop left the room than they began to gossip about her. (Austen)

The Past Perfect is frequently used with the adverbs just, already, yet.

2. Sometimes the Past Perfect does not denote priority but only the completion of the action.

He waited until she had found the latchkey and opened the door.

Он подождал, пока она отыскала ключ и открыла дверь.

The Past Perfect is rendered in Russian by the past perfective.

3. The Past Perfect is used to denote an action, which began before a definite moment in the past, continued up to that moment and was still going on at that moment. This use is called the Past Perfect Inclusive. The starting point or the whole period of duration of the action is indicated. To indicate the starting point the preposition since is used, to indicate the whole period of duration for is used. The Past Perfect Inclusive is used:

a) with verbs not admitting of the Continuous form.

Examination convinced him that the deacon was dead — had been dead for some time. (Eliot)

b) in negative sentences. (In this case the Past Perfect Continuous is also possible, but not common.)

Those two had not spoken to each other for three days and were in a state of rage. (Bennett)

c) with non-terminative verbs such as to work, to live, to study, to teach, to travel, to last, etc. (In this case the Past Perfect Continuous is possible.)

The ride had lasted about ten minutes, when the truck suddenly swerved to a halt. (Heym)

The Past Perfect Inclusive is generally rendered in Russian by the past perfective.

He had not written a line since he arrived.

Он не написал ни строчки с тех пор, как приехал.

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