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A special usage if Past perfect tense?



 
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for instead of because | 'Demonstrable' -a form of 'demonstrate'?
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #1 (permalink) Fri Apr 11, 2008 15:13 pm   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
Hello,
Would you please have a look at this sentence : "Dave didn't sign the contract until he had spoken to his lawyer.''
I think there is something wrong with the usage Past perfect tense here because it is used to say about one action which took place before another in the past.And here in this sentence it is used to say about one action occuring after another.
Please explain it for me.
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Duc
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #2 (permalink) Fri Apr 11, 2008 16:22 pm   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
Quote:
Firts action: he spoke to his lawyer.
Second action: he signed.


The action with the lawyer is the past of the signing action. Past perfect is fine in that case.
Molly
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #3 (permalink) Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:37 am   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
Yes, the past perfect is quite correct in that sentence. Remember that the sequence of the events in an English sentence isn't always connected to their sequence in time.
Jamie (K)
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #4 (permalink) Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:02 am   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
Jamie (K) wrote:
isn't always connected to their sequence in time.
Did you mean to say 'their sequence in the sentence', Jamie?
.
Yankee
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #5 (permalink) Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:43 am   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
I think he did mean to.
Molly
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A special usage if Past perfect tense? #6 (permalink) Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:22 am   A special usage if Past perfect tense?		  
I said:

Quote:
Remember that the sequence of the events in an English sentence isn't always connected to their sequence in time.

That's what I meant to say.

Look at these two sentences:

a. "Dave didn't sign the contract until he had spoken to his lawyer.''
b. "Until he had spoken to his lawyer, Dave didn't sign the contract."

The order of events in time is: (1) speak to the lawyer, (2) sign the contract. However, in the sentences, even though they mean exactly the same thing, the sequence in sentence (a) is (2)(1), and the sequence in sentence (b) is (1)(2). Which clause comes first in the sentence is unconnected to which event happened first in time.

Duc wrote this sentence:
"Dave didn't sign the contract until he had spoken to his lawyer.''

And he said about it:
Quote:
I think there is something wrong with the usage Past perfect tense here because it is used to say about one action which took place before another in the past.And here in this sentence it is used to say about one action occuring after another.

His confusion appears to to be that in the example sentence the first event is mentioned after the second event.
Jamie (K)
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