Why Doesn't Anyone Look At My Post?

[dalfred]

Sorry to be so direct, but i've noticed that some posts are looked at (and answered) almost instantly.
What am i doing wrong??????

need some help.......

What is correct?(and why is very Important!)
I'm talking to the director of Wall Street Institute for English on Friday.


No sooner had I opened my front door ... that something was wrong.

did i realize
than i realized

(fill in the dots)


And one more

Sorry you didn't find me at home. ... out to do some shopping.

I've gone
I'd gone

I failed on both. But i am 999 million percent sure (don't know why) that 'did i realize' is correct.Just can't explain it.
And 'I've gone' is correct because i left a note.(or not?)

Cheers
Donald

[mykwyner]

I have gone out... means that I am out now.

I had (I'd) gone out... means I was out then.

I really can't think of a grammatical way of using the phrase "did I realize..." in your context.

Maybe some of the other teachers can recall the exact rules that govern the construction of these sentences.

[dalfred]

Many thanks for you reply.

Does it mean that both are correct in the given context?

i've gone
i'd gone

Cheers

Donald

[mykwyner]

Donald,

If you leave a note for someone, "I have gone out," would be correct because you are out when the reader is reading the note (your condition of being out is in the present). If you are speaking to someone who missed you when he called on you, then you say, "I had gone out," because the entire event happened in the past, and you are no longer out.

I might say, "Only when I looked, did I realize that she had gone," but it doesn't sound right to me. I would more naturally say, "It was only after I looked that I realized she was gone."

As I said before, I can't remember the rules that govern these sentences. As an English teacher for many years, I can assure you that no native English speaker would utter your "No sooner...did I realize..." sentence.

[Teia]

Originally Posted by dalfred

Sorry to be so direct, but i've noticed that some posts are looked at (and answered) almost instantly.
What am i doing wrong??????
need some help.......
What is correct?(and why is very Important!)
I'm talking to the director of Wall Street Institute for English on Friday.
No sooner had I opened my front door ... that something was wrong.
did i realize
than i realized
(fill in the dots)
And one more
Sorry you didn't find me at home. ... out to do some shopping.
I've gone
I'd gone
I failed on both. But i am 999 million percent sure (don't know why) that 'did i realize' is correct.Just can't explain it.
And 'I've gone' is correct because i left a note.(or not?)
Cheers
Donald

Hi Donald

Don`t get angry with us, please ! If you posted a short message or question [one at a time] you would surely get answers more quickly. Otherwise, being a large answer , we have to think it over and give the necessary explanations and examples so that you can understand the problem .

1. I`m talking to the director... [this is a plan] - it is correct because you have already planned an appointment with the director
I`ll talk to the director of Wall Street English Institute on Friday.[ promise or possible future fact]
I`m going to talk to the director of ...........[plan or intention]

2. The correct sentence is:

No sooner had I opened my front door than I realized that something was wrong.
No sooner........than...

No sooner had I reached home than I realized that my entrance door was broken.

This is called inversion.
Inversion is used to give emphasis or to be rhetorical in more formal situations, on the news, in political speeches and also in literature.
Some native speakers may also use it occasionally. No sooner ...than is used to refer to an event that quickly follows another. It is usually used with the past perfect,but sometimes with the simple past.

e.g. No sooner had I reached the door than I realised it was locked.
No sooner did I reach the door than I realised it was locked.

You can use "did I realise" after phrases like : only after, only then, little etc.
e.g. Only after the film started did I realise that I had seen it before.
Only then did I realise that my flat had been broken into.
Little did I realise that he was a compulsive liar.
You can`t use inversion twice in the same sentence [ did I realize is not correct in this context]. The phrase "no sooner " is always followed by "than".

Regards,