bambusst
Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2007
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Croatian
- Home Country
- Croatia
- Current Location
- Croatia
Dear all,
Could anyone please explain the usage of tenses in these sentences from the Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting - 4 and 5 August 2010:
1. Consumer confidence had fallen in May and was broadly unchanged in June, but it had risen sharply in July, towards its late 2007 level.
Isn't it necessary to backshift also "was unchanged" to "had been unchanged"?
2. CPI inflation had fallen by 0.2% in June to 3.2%. Goods price inflation had fallen in May and June, while services inflation had been rising for some months. This had followed a period where goods price inflation had been stronger than services price inflation, reflecting exchange rate pressures. Is it really necessary to use past perfect throughout the minutes, especially as there is no reporting verb? It seems a bit confusing.
I often have to translate minutes, but I don't usually use past perfect that much. Maybe I should? I'm really looking forward to hearing the opinion of native speakers.
Thanks!
Could anyone please explain the usage of tenses in these sentences from the Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting - 4 and 5 August 2010:
1. Consumer confidence had fallen in May and was broadly unchanged in June, but it had risen sharply in July, towards its late 2007 level.
Isn't it necessary to backshift also "was unchanged" to "had been unchanged"?
2. CPI inflation had fallen by 0.2% in June to 3.2%. Goods price inflation had fallen in May and June, while services inflation had been rising for some months. This had followed a period where goods price inflation had been stronger than services price inflation, reflecting exchange rate pressures. Is it really necessary to use past perfect throughout the minutes, especially as there is no reporting verb? It seems a bit confusing.
I often have to translate minutes, but I don't usually use past perfect that much. Maybe I should? I'm really looking forward to hearing the opinion of native speakers.
Thanks!