two questions needed to be answered

[fruitcakes]

I have a question for one of your English teachers in this forum. Will you please read the following sentence and tell me whether it is correct or not?
"Not until yesterday had I realized how fat I was when I suddenly looked into the mirror. "

By the way, will you explain to me the word, "for", when it means," because". I often read sentences in fictions with ", for", which means "because". How do I use it in this context?

 

[bhaisahab]

I have a question for one of your English teachers in this forum. Please you please read the following sentence and tell me whether it is correct or not?
"Not until yesterday had I realized how fat I was when I suddenly looked into the mirror. "

By the way, will you explain to me the word, "for", when it means," because". I often read sentences in fictions with ", for", which means "because". How do I use it in this context?

It's better like this:
"Not until yesterday, when I suddenly looked in the mirror, did I realize how fat I was." or "I hadn't realized how fat I was, until I looked in the mirror yesterday".

 

[fruitcakes]

What do you mean by saying one thing is better than another? If I prefer a slightly old form of English, can I say what I said?

 

[fruitcakes]

All opinions welcomed. Please give me an advice.
Not until yesterday had I arrived at the decision to read more when I made an ungramatical sentence in my writing. OK or wrong?
Please. Answers badly needed.

 

[bhaisahab]

"Not until yesterday had I realized how fat I was when I suddenly looked into the mirror. "

If you write it like this, it is confusing, it looks like you suddenly looked in the mirror after you realized how fat you were.

 

[bhaisahab]

All opinions welcomed. Please give me an advice.
Not until yesterday had I arrived at the decision to read more when I made an ungramatical sentence in my writing. OK or wrong?
Please. Answers badly needed.

This sounds like you "made" an ungrammatical sentence after arriving at the decision to read more.

 

[Raymott]

All opinions welcomed. Please give me an advice.
Not until yesterday had I arrived at the decision to read more when I made an ungramatical sentence in my writing. OK or wrong?
Please. Answers badly needed.

I don't see the point of your use of the past perfect in either of your examples.
Not until yesterday did I arrive at the decision to read more after I wrote an ungrammatical sentence.
Not until yesterday did I realize how fat I was after/when I suddenly looked into the mirror.

It might sound acceptable in your native North Polar English, but I agree with bhaisahab - the original sounds weird. If you decide you must use the past perfect, you'd use it for the earlier event:
Not until yesterday did I realize how fat I was after I had suddenly looked into the mirror.
But it isn't necessary.

 

[fruitcakes]

This sounds like you "made" an ungrammatical sentence after arriving at the decision to read more.

That was exactly what I meant. I always wished to read more, but it was not until the moment I found a grammatical mistake that I really made a resolution. Is it OK? Is it grammatically fine?

I don't see the point of your use of the past perfect in either of your examples.
Not until yesterday did I arrive at the decision to read more after I wrote an ungrammatical sentence.
Not until yesterday did I realize how fat I was after/when I suddenly looked into the mirror.

It might sound acceptable in your native North Polar English, but I agree with bhaisahab - the original sounds weird. If you decide you must use the past perfect, you'd use it for the earlier event:
Not until yesterday did I realize how fat I was after I had suddenly looked into the mirror.
But it isn't necessary.

I am sorry. Though I was born among the polar bears, I never heard one of them speak English. They uttered sounds only.
By the way, the sentence you recommended is not correct. "had"
does not go well with "suddenly". "had" suggested an action or motive that started since a long time ago. It does not fit into the connotation that " suddenly" brings about.

 

[Raymott]

By the way, the sentence you recommended is not correct. "had"
does not go well with "suddenly".

You might find, with more experience, that it is correct, and that 'suddenly' does work with the past perfect.
Then again, you might not.

 

[fruitcakes]

You think it is correct when in fact it is not. That's the way you work with grammar. Can You give me an example to show that it is correct, if you have such great experience with the English language?

 

[bhaisahab]

It's better like this:
"Not until yesterday, when I suddenly looked in the mirror, did I realize how fat I was." or "I hadn't realized how fat I was, until I looked in the mirror yesterday".

You think it is correct when in fact it is not. That's the way you work with grammar. Can You give me an example to show that it is correct, if you have such great experience with the English language?

I have already given you a couple of examples in my first post. I have quoted it above.

 

[fruitcakes]

To the last poster
I believe you have had good English abilities.
It was a sentence I wrote in my book. I wrote it and then started feeling uneasy about it. I am not sure whether it is grammatical or not.
I wanted to express my intense feelings that I had long wanted to do sth. However, I didn't do it until yesterday when sth else happened quite by chance.
You wrote in a post yesterday that it is fine if that is what I wanted to express. Is it true? For example in the sentence," Not until yesterday had I arrived at a decision to read more, when I found a grammatical mistake in my work." , I had always been struggling with myself to read more, but for some reason I never read enough. Fortunately I set my heart on reading at a moment yesterday, when at the same time I made a grammatical mistake. To have made a grammatical mistake does not have to happen before my resolution to read more, and it was added as a sort of coincidence.
Please have paitience with me and answer me if it is grammatically fine, if the above was the idea needed to be expressed.

 

[bhaisahab]

To the last poster
I believe you have had good English abilities.
It was a sentence I wrote in my book. I wrote it and then started feeling uneasy about it. I am not sure whether it is grammatical or not.
I wanted to express my intense feelings that I had long wanted to do sth. However, I didn't do it until yesterday when sth else happened quite by chance.
You wrote in a post yesterday that it is fine if that is what I wanted to express. Is it true? For example in the sentence," Not until yesterday had I arrived at a decision to read more, when I found a grammatical mistake in my work." , I had always been struggling with myself to read more, but for some reason I never read enough. Fortunately I set my heart on reading at a moment yesterday, when at the same time I made a grammatical mistake. To have made a grammatical mistake does not have to happen before my resolution to read more, and it was added as a sort of coincidence.
Please have paitience with me and answer me if it is grammatically fine, if the above was the idea needed to be expressed.

I think it would be clearer if you worded it like this:
"Not until yesterday, when I had already arrived at a decision to read more, did I find a grammatical mistake in my work."

 

[fruitcakes]

To my last poster
But that is not the idea that came to me when I wrote the sentence. My focus is the resolution, not the mistake I've made. The way you changed the sentence made it feel like I was talking about a mistake rather than a resolution. By the way, I didn't want to declare which one of the two happened first, and I only hinted at the fact that the mistake might have triggered my resultion. However it can also be that the resolution was made first. Coinsidence, chance are the best words to describe the two actions. My thoughts go like this. I was talking about my wish, which had started since a long time ago and then the resolution I made yeaterday, when an idea stuck upon me that I made a grammatical mistake.

You said it is fine to work a sentence this way," I had not arrived at a decision to read more, until I made a grammatical mistake yesterday." I think it is the same with my sentence. There is sth called inversion or what in grammar.
Please have patience with me. I want correct sentences, but I don't want to reconcile my original idea.

 

[fruitcakes]

I believe I must explain. Though the sentence addresses the first action, both actions are of equal signigicance to me. Perhaps the second may be far more significant than the first, though it was not clearly stated.

 

[fruitcakes]

Please reply my post.

 

[bhaisahab]

Please reply my post.

What about: "I had just arrived at a decision to read more when, coincidentally, I made a grammar mistake in my writing".

 

[fruitcakes]

But you didn't express the idea that it took me a long time to arrive at the decision. I had long wished to, but I didn't. It was a hard decision for me.

Is my original sentence grammatically fine? To invert the sentence, " I had not arrived at the decision, until I made a grammatical mistake yesterday", I get my sentence.

 

[bhaisahab]

But you didn't express the idea that it took me a long time to arrive at the decision. I had long wished to, but I didn't. It was a hard decision for me.

Is my original sentence grammatically fine? To invert the sentence, " I had not arrived at the decision, until I made a grammatical mistake yesterday", I get my sentence.

I think your original sentence is close to being incomprehensible. I'm sorry, I really don't think I can help you any more, perhaps someone else would like to try.

 

[fruitcakes]

This sounds like you "made" an ungrammatical sentence after arriving at the decision to read more.

If that is what I meant, can I say what I said? It is not important whether it is comprehensible or not, if it addresses my thoughts honestly.
Please reply my post. What do you think?