Past perfect tense/past tense

[Anonymous]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

Another question :

How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .

The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .

Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

 

[RonBee]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

The first sentence says to me that he had a broken leg. I'm not sure what context the second sentence would be used in. It would be more usual to say his leg had been broken.

Another question :

How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .

The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .

Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

The phrase reading material is certainly a common one. I'm not really familiar otherwise with many word combinations regarding the words material or materials; however, more important than what the grammar books say, perhaps, is how the words are actually used.

Perhaps others will have something to contribute.

 

[Tdol]

2 could be a mistake:

'He had his leg broken' is an idiomatic use of the causative, often used for accidents, etc. ;-)

 

[henry]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

Another question :

How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .

The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .

Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

hi Tarmizi,

To my best knowledge, "material" can be used for both meanings mentioned above. There is no difference between them, unless it might have been misprinted.
Therefore I want to suggest to have a look at dictionaries.

regards,
Henry

 

[Tdol]

'Teaching materials' is common enough in BE.;-)

 

[RonBee]

'Teaching materials' is common enough in BE.;-)

In AE too, I'm sure.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

In my opinion, both constructions can be correct. The first can be a predicate adjective following a linking verb or a past tense passive voice construction. In this case it is impossible to tell the difference. It would be a definite passive voice construction if an agent were mentioned. "His leg was broken by the other fighter.

The second is a past perfect construction. It uses the intransitive sense of "break". He fell to the ground in pain. The strain had been too much and his leg had broken.

"Had been broken" is also correct.

Another question :

How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .

The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .

Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

Material can be a mass noun (uncountable) but as with many mass nouns, it can also be countable. I would use "teaching material" if the material were all of one type or if the type(s) were unknown. I would use "teaching materials" if the materials were of different types.

 

[RonBee]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

In my opinion, both constructions can be correct. The first can be a predicate adjective following a linking verb or a past tense passive voice construction. In this case it is impossible to tell the difference. It would be a definite passive voice construction if an agent were mentioned. "His leg was broken by the other fighter.

The second is a past perfect construction. It uses the intransitive sense of "break". He fell to the ground in pain. The strain had been too much and his leg had broken.

"Had been broken" is also correct.

Another question :

How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .

The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .

Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

Material can be a mass noun (uncountable) but as with many mass nouns, it can also be countable. I would use "teaching material" if the material were all of one type or if the type(s) were unknown. I would use "teaching materials" if the materials were of different types.

Excellent "new and improved" analysis, Mike!

(new and improved = better than the ones that came before)

 

[MikeNewYork]

Excellent "new and improved" analysis, Mike!

(new and improved = better than the ones that came before)

:wink:

 

[Ibeke]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

1. caused to be broken

2. broke itself


But I can't help you on the material(s), sounds quite confusing to me as well.

 

[Casiopea]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

1. caused to be broken

2. broke itself


But I can't help you on the material(s), sounds quite confusing to me as well.

Actually, , 1. is passive and 2. is past perfect. :wink: Good try on your part, but, no cigar. By the way, if you take a look at the post above yours, you'll notice Mike gives an excellent account for material ~ materials. 8)

 

[bmo]

RonBee moved from St. Louis to Charlotte, NC?

 

[Ibeke]

Dear moderators,

What are the differences between the two sentences below ?

1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

1. caused to be broken

2. broke itself


But I can't help you on the material(s), sounds quite confusing to me as well.

Actually, , 1. is passive and 2. is past perfect. :wink: Good try on your part, but, no cigar. By the way, if you take a look at the post above yours, you'll notice Mike gives an excellent account for material ~ materials. 8)

And does the meaning really remain the same in both constructions?

 

[Casiopea]

The meaning changes, yes; the state of his leg doesn't change. :wink:

1. His leg was broken emphasizes the event: leg broken, not how or who broke the leg.

2. His leg had broken (i.e., before something else happened)

All the best,

 

[Ibeke]

The meaning changes, yes; the state of his leg doesn't change. :wink:

1. His leg was broken emphasizes the event: leg broken, not how or who broke the leg.

2. His leg had broken (i.e., before something else happened)

All the best,

aj si

 

[Tdol]

Then, there's 'he had his leg broken' to express misfortune. ;-)

 

[NewHope]

2 could be a mistake:

'He had his leg broken' is an idiomatic use of the causative, often used for accidents, etc. ;-)

Cool!

 

[bmo]

Then, there's 'he had his leg broken' to express misfortune. ;-)

And "break a leg" is an idiom meaning good luck. One wonders how that came about.

 

[Francois]

Saying "good luck" to someone is believed to actually bring bad luck, hence the "break a leg".
In French, you would say "Merde!", which means (for those who don't already know) "shit".

FRC

 

[kippi3000]

Dear moderators,
What are the differences between the two sentences below ?
1. His leg was broken 2. His leg had broken

in the first example, "His leg was broken." , Broken is used as an adjective, describing his leg. E.g. "His leg was bruised. His leg was injured. His leg was broken. " These are descriptions of his leg.

Broken, in the second example, is a past participle, meaning that it is an event which had occured before another event (subject). For example, if you say that "his leg had broken.", it MUST be accompanied with another event. E.g. His leg had broken a few days before the football match." The stand-alone sentence is hanging: His leg had broken.... (after he fell of a cliff? during the fight in the bar?)

it is possible to make the sentence more correct by making it an adjective: His leg had broken... into a million pieces. (in this case, "breaking into a million pieces" is a descriptive phrase )

Another question :
How do I use the word " materials " and " material " ( singular ) . Many grammar books( written by American & British authors ) that I have referred to stated that " materials " could only be used for physical materials ,e.g. blood sample , paper ,etc . But the word " material" ( without "s" is only used for reading or academic materials.For example ,teaching material .
The explanations given by the books that I read were very confusing because I came across many academic writings that used " materials " instead of " material " for academic writings .
Perhaps, our experts overthere could englighten me on this word ( material). What is the ' safest' way of using material ?

The general usage would be to stick with the word "material".

The noun material can be used in a lot of ways, the most common being the 'element used to make an object'. E.g. Silk is an expensive material.

IF there are many elements involved in an activity, then add -s. E.g. A lot of building materials were used in the construction of the bridge.

For uncountable/abstract objects, such as ideas, information etc, either one can be appropriate. E.g. "The materials for Britney Spears' biography has been compiled, and waiting to be edited." or, "A list of reading material has/materials have been compiled."



My advice: use the word 'material' freely. Only use materialS when you are absolutely sure of the usage.

There is no such thing as a "Materials Girl".



Cheers.