Past perfect continious

Status
Not open for further replies.

4elsik

Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Russian Federation
Current Location
Russian Federation
I've read some topic-related stuff but still stay confused. What I have to do is translate two sentences, so no context is available. What I've translated so far is the following:
At that moment a matter of great importance was being discussed and everyone was listening carefully. It had been being discussed for more than 2 hours.

Is that correct?

And could it be said (or at least understood):
At that moment a matter of great importance was being discussed and everyone was listening carefully. It was being discussed for more than 2 hours.
 
"Under discussion" is better than "being discussed."
 
For me, "at that moment" doesn't match "for more than two hours".
 
For me, "at that moment" doesn't match "for more than two hours".
the following should be correct then, I guess:
A matter of great importance was being discussed and everyone was listening carefully. It had been being discussed for more than 2 hours.
 
Last edited:
For me, "at that moment" doesn't match "for more than two hours".
But is it necessary for them to match? They are used in different sentences.

Not a teacher.
 
the following should be correct then, I guess:
A matter of great importance was being discussed and everyone was listening carefully. It had been being discussed for more than 2 hours.

Yes, that is better.
 
Matthew, logically, it does matter.
 
"At that moment a matter of great importance had been discussed and everyone had been listening carefully. It had been discussed for more than 2 hours."
That is the past perfect continuous tense of your title, if that's what you need to do. It's not a translation; it's a transformation from one tense to another. However, transforming it into the past perfect tense results in very unlikely sentences.
 
Matthew, logically, it does matter.
If the original contained something illogical, would it be acceptable to keep it in the translation?
The OP's sentences are translation.
Not a teacher.
 
I really can't speak to that.
 
If the original contained something illogical, would it be acceptable to keep it in the translation?
The OP's sentences are translation.
Yes, if they are meant to be translations from Russian to English, the errors should be included, depending on the purpose.
If it is a translation, we are in no position to say whether it's correct or not, not having the original (and, in my case, not knowing Russian).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top