kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
[From Reader’s Digest]
Book Mobile
There’s plenty to do at Taylorsville Lake State Park, southeast of Louisville, Kentucky--boating, fishing, hiking. And now reading. At the behest of park manger Carey Ruff, local wood hobbyist Gene Balter built a little library as a book exchange for campers in need of something to read under the stars or on a rainy day. Resembling a classic Airstream camper, the library is filled with westerns, romance novels, instruction manuals, kids books and more. And it’s almost as popular as the hiking. It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
[Source]
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Question 1: Why is the red text in the past participle?
I think it is backshift. Now, I'll take three senteces below:
a. It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
b. "It have been up only a couple of weeks", says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
c. Ruff said it had been up only a couple of weeks, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
So, (a) is backshift of (b), and (a) is a mix of (b) and (c). What do you think?
Question 2:
It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
Why did the writer use "say" rather than "said"? I suppose that this is historical present, in order to make the narrative more vivid. What do you think?
Book Mobile
There’s plenty to do at Taylorsville Lake State Park, southeast of Louisville, Kentucky--boating, fishing, hiking. And now reading. At the behest of park manger Carey Ruff, local wood hobbyist Gene Balter built a little library as a book exchange for campers in need of something to read under the stars or on a rainy day. Resembling a classic Airstream camper, the library is filled with westerns, romance novels, instruction manuals, kids books and more. And it’s almost as popular as the hiking. It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
[Source]
----
Question 1: Why is the red text in the past participle?
I think it is backshift. Now, I'll take three senteces below:
a. It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
b. "It have been up only a couple of weeks", says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
c. Ruff said it had been up only a couple of weeks, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
So, (a) is backshift of (b), and (a) is a mix of (b) and (c). What do you think?
Question 2:
It had been up only a couple of weeks, says Ruff, “and we’ve already had to restock it.”
Why did the writer use "say" rather than "said"? I suppose that this is historical present, in order to make the narrative more vivid. What do you think?
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