[Grammar] Past perfect tense - had enjoyed and had pleaded

[DANAU]

Hi.

I extracted the paragraphs below from a local newspaper article.

#1 - "Australia had enjoyed early success in crushing the curve of virus cases by shutting its international
border as well as implementing social distancing measures and a wide-spread testing and tracing regime."

#2 - "He had pleaded guilty in March this year to two counts each of molestation and insulting a woman's modesty"

#1 - I do not understand the use of the past perfect tense here as I do not see an "earlier past" in this sentence
and therefore the need to distinguish the order of events.

#2 - I always understand that when specific time is given, the correct tense should always be simple past. In this sentence, "March" was mentioned so
should it not be He "pleaded" guilty instead?

 

[GoesStation]

Previous context drove the writer's choice in both sentences. The rule you cite in #2 is not correct.

 

[tedmc]

GoesStation

I don't think my answer was incorrect.

I don't think the pleading guilty happened before March (which you think it did), so I don't think I was wrong in saying that the past perfect tense should not have been used. I have seen such mistakes in the local newspapers.

 

[GoesStation]

I don't think my answer was incorrect.

I don't think the pleading guilty happened before March (which you think it did), so I don't think I was wrong in saying that the past perfect tense should not have been used. I have seen such mistakes in the local newspapers.

The sentence says the plead happened in March and that this was earlier than the time of an event discussed in a previous sentence. The original post doesn't contain enough context to determine whether the tense is used correctly.

 

[tedmc]

The sentence says the plead happened in March and that this was earlier than the time of an event discussed in a previous sentence. The original post doesn't contain enough context to determine whether the tense is used correctly.

Well, let Danau post the text before the sentence in question then. If the plead happened in March, earlier than the time of the event discussed, would the past perfect still be correct?

 

[GoesStation]

Well, let Danau post the text before the sentence in question then. If the plead happened in March, earlier than the time of the event discussed, would the past perfect still be correct?

It could be.

 

[DANAU]

Well, let Danau post the text before the sentence in question then.

Sharing earlier paragraphs for your reference.

#1
"Melbourne's travails also provide a cautionary tale for other big, service economy-driven cities such as London that are reopening pubs and restaurants in a bid to jump-start their crippled economies.

Australia had enjoyed early success in crushing the curve of virus cases by shutting its international
border as well as implementing social distancing measures and a wide-spread testing and tracing regime."

#2
"He had done so on the pretext of performing rituals on time.

SH Toh, 66, also took videos of the victims' exposed bodies.

He had pleaded guilty in March this year to two counts each of molestation and insulting a woman's modesty."

 

[tedmc]

#2
"He had done so on the pretext of performing rituals on time.

SH Toh, 66, also took videos of the victims' exposed bodies.

He had pleaded guilty in March this year to two counts each of molestation and insulting a woman's modesty."

GStation
Is it justified to use the past perfect tense above? I don't think so.

 

[GoesStation]

GStation
Is it justified to use the past perfect tense above? I don't think so.

I'm afraid we still need more context to know.

 

[teechar]

The sentence says the plead happened in March

I'm sure GS meant to write "pleading" instead.

and that this was earlier than the time of an event discussed in a previous sentence. The original post doesn't contain enough context to determine whether the tense is used correctly.

Right. In fact, I searched on the Web and found the website from which those sentences were taken.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/a...n-will-be-catastrophic-for-hospitality-sector
and
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...aler-jailed-15-months-for-molesting-two-women

Danau, in future, please provide a link to such quoted sentences. Can you see how the first sentence in both articles is in the past simple tense? That is what is used as a reference, such that the past perfect is used for prior actions/events.

 

[GoesStation]

I'm sure GS meant to write "pleading" instead.

Actually I was aiming for "plea". Short and sweet, eh?

 

[GoesStation]

I'm afraid we still need more context to know.

Strangely, "context" sounds exactly like "cowbell" in a Queens accent.