Subj : Sorting out the tenses
To   : Anton Shepelev
From : Dallas Hinton
Date : Sun Aug 02 2020 20:25:31

Hi Anton -- on Aug 03 2020 at 00:40, you wrote:

AS> Raymond  Chandler's  short  story "Pearls are a nui-
AS> sance" has the following piece of dialogue:

AS>    "[...] The pearls  are  a  string  of  forty-nine
AS>    matched  pink  ones  which Mr. Penruddock gave to
AS>    Mrs. Penruddock for her golden  wedding  present.
AS>    She  hardly ever wore them lately, except perhaps
AS>    on Christmas or when she had a couple of very old
AS>    friends  in  to dinner and was well enough to sit
AS>    up. And every Thanksgiving she gives a dinner  to
AS>    all  the pensioners and friends and old employees
AS>    Mr. Penruddock left on her hands,  and  she  wore
AS>    them then."

AS>    "You  are  getting  your  verb  tenses  a  little
AS>    mixed," I said, "but the general idea  is  clear.
AS>    Go on."

AS> Have you an idea what corrections the spearker would
AS> have made?

The section starts in past tense "Mr. P GAVE", "when she HAD" etc. Then
suddenly shifts to present "she GIVES a diner" and back to past "she
WORE them".  Despite this, it does work as the pensioners' dinner
appears to have been in the past and is intended to continue in the
future.  Interesting example!


Cheers... Dallas

--- timEd/NT 1.30+
 * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)

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