NationStates Jolt Archive

Not necessarily me. Ask anyone. But do try: it really does make it so much easier for us all to grasp your clinching arguments. I don't mean to have a go at those for whom English is not a first language, although in any case they seem to do a lot better than those for whom it supposedly is.

When is it ok to use a double past tense in a sentence?

*cackles*

I have no questions for you, but I do back you up. I'm no English great, but at least I'm coherent. XD I saw you in one of those threads discussing gay marriage, and I pitied you that you had to respond to that pile of jibberjabber. XD

Asylum Nova

Not necessarily me. Ask anyone. But do try: it really does make it so much easier for us all to grasp your clinching arguments. I don't mean to have a go at those for whom English is not a first language, although in any case they seem to do a lot better than those for whom it supposedly is.

I've noticed that too. The people whom I would most often think are struggling with English as a second language turn out to be actually struggling with it as their primary language. :(

When is it ok to use a double past tense in a sentence?

Can you give an example of what you had in mind?

Not necessarily me. Ask anyone. But do try: it really does make it so much easier for us all to grasp your clinching arguments. I don't mean to have a go at those for whom English is not a first language, although in any case they seem to do a lot better than those for whom it supposedly is.

Damn straight.

I've noticed that too. The people whom I would most often think are struggling with English as a second language turn out to be actually struggling with it as their primary language. :(

haha!So true!

I'm an author. So I'd hope I could spell and punctuate. Oh, wait - I can. Ask me. :D

I'm an author. So I'd hope I could spell and punctuate. Oh, wait - I can. Ask me. :D
We've found the real Max Barry

demented hamsters, could you give an example?

bad grammar bothers me, but i don't always know how to correct it...



and after looking over my brief post, i realize my punctuation and capitilization aren't that great, and i apologize, but i am in a very lazy mood! so sorry :cool:

Well, I was told as a general rule that English doesn't like double grammar. So no double negatives ("You can't not do that."), no double plurals ("childrens") and no double past tenses ("I did broke the CD player yesterday"). A good rule to remember BTW.
But then I was read that there are exceptions (of course, like any rule with English grammar) to the double past tense, but there were no examples. So it's been bugging me. Just wondering if you knew of any. And why of course. Cheers.

Well, I was told as a general rule that English doesn't like double grammar. So no double negatives ("You can't not do that."), no double plurals ("childrens") and no double past tenses ("I did broke the CD player yesterday"). A good rule to remember BTW.
But then I was read that there are exceptions (of course, like any rule with English grammar) to the double past tense, but there were no examples. So it's been bugging me. Just wondering if you knew of any. And why of course. Cheers.

My old landlady used to be fond of triple negatives. "Ain't you not coming down for no dinner, then?" But then she was from Manchester (ducks to avoid abuse).

In the UK, governmentspeak often contains a lot of double negatives (with not inconsiderable difficulty etc). That makes it more difficult to understand (which is presumably the point), although it's technically correct.

Childrens can only be used as a possessive (the childrens' play area), but English is funny on plurals (eg sheep).

I wasn't sure what you mean by a double past tense. There is after all the pluperfect tense: 'I had walked for several miles...' or 'I had been walking...'.

I thought it might mean the exception was Past Continuous ("had walked") or Past Perfect Continuous tense ('had been'), but then thought: "That's too obvious!". But maybe I just think too much.

I've just had a thought and maybe it's to do when you use a conjunction. e.g.
"He broke his arm when he fell out of the tree."

Lol