had been gone or had gone?

[haseli22]

Dear teachers,

The following is a sentence taken from a novel. In this sentence there is a structure "had been gone". It seems a bit odd to me. Is it correct or it should be "had gone"?

It looked as if Janine didn’t even know Alexa had been gone.

Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

Is it correct or it should be "had gone"?

"It looked as if Janine didn’t even know Alexa had been gone."

I would say you are correct and 'had been gone' is wrong.

 

[SoothingDave]

Now she is back. She had been gone.

If you say you didn't know she "had gone," that is saying she is still away.

 

[konungursvia]

To me, the original is definitely correct, although I would agree if someone were to say it's not elegantly written.

 

[billmcd]

To me, the original is definitely correct, although I would agree if someone were to say it's not elegantly written.

I would agree with your "definitely correct" in a certain context. See my post to haseli22.

 

[billmcd]

Dear teachers,

The following is a sentence taken from a novel. In this sentence there is a structure "had been gone". It seems a bit odd to me. Is it correct or it should be "had gone"?

It looked as if Janine didn’t even know Alexa had been gone.

Thanks.

Could/might be OK. Please supply some additional/surrounding dialogue/narrative.

 

[5jj]

The longer the children had been gone the better, he discovered.

This is the first of 178 reasonably natural-sound citations from COCA.

 

[Barb_D]

It comes down to whether she left and returned and her absense was unnoted the whole time, or whether she is not there now.

 

[billmcd]

The longer the children had been gone the better, he discovered.

This is the first of 178 reasonably natural-sound citations from COCA.

I knew that sooner or later you would use your true picture.

 

[haseli22]

Dear Barb_D,
What you have said is totally correct. In this novel "she left and returned and her absense was unnoted the whole time". Now this structure is correct?

 

[SoothingDave]

Dear Barb_D,
What you have said is totally correct. In this novel "she left and returned and her absense was unnoted the whole time". Now this structure is correct?

Yes, that is what I said in post 3.