[Grammar] the verb tense

[maoyueh]

In the sentence below, which is correct, A or B? Thank you.

My boyfriend asked me whether I (A. ever had B. had ever had) a crush on one of my teachers in high school.

 

[emsr2d2]

In the sentence below, which is correct, A or B? Thank you.

My boyfriend asked me whether I (A. ever had B. had ever had) a crush on one of my teachers in high school.

Which one do you think is correct and why?

 

[maoyueh]

Which one do you think is correct and why?

Thanks for asking. Because the main verb 'asked' is the past tense, according to strict grammar, B is the correct choice, However, since the simple past tense 'had' can also refer to something that happened in the past, I think A is also acceptable. I asked to make sure if I am right. Thank you.

 

[probus]

They are both correct, both heard millions of times a day in common speech. In my opinion A is becoming more common than B (much more common where I live) as people continue disusing the pluperfect, or past perfect tense.

 

[engee30]

:up: Yes, I can tell from my own experience that that is the case. That said, I'd still encourage students to go with the traditional grammar rules and use a pluperfect in situations like this.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thanks for asking. Because the main verb 'asked' is the past tense, according to strict grammar, B is the correct choice, However, since the simple past tense 'had' can also refer to something that happened in the past, I think A is also acceptable. I asked to make sure if I am right. Thank you.

The version with the past perfect is correct and is more formal. However, from the context, it is obvious that any crushes would have occurred before the time the question was asked. The main purpose of the past perfect is to establish the time sequence of two past events. When other timing clues or context establishes the time sequence, the simple past is acceptable.

 

[engee30]

That is true, but as I said earlier, being a student often requires applying the rules that are taught at school. It so happens that I've been asked a similar question on several occasions and the only answer I would have was for them to stick to the rules prescribed in their textbooks.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That is true, but as I said earlier, being a student often requires applying the rules that are taught at school. It so happens that I've been asked a similar question on several occasions and the only answer I would have was for them to stick to the rules prescribed in their textbooks.

I agree. That is why we try to present both sides. The formal rules apply to examinations but then the student wonders why people don't always use those forms.

 

[engee30]

I once stumbled upon a book by Oxford in which it read that 'a past simple is sometimes used in place of a past perfect' when referring to past situations, which isn't any help. I'm all for it, just like you are, to tell others that you use a past perfect if the context needs it, for the sake of clarity, if you like.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I once stumbled upon a book by Oxford in which it read that 'a past simple is sometimes used in place of a past perfect' when referring to past situations, which isn't any help. I'm all for it, just like you are, to tell others that you use a past perfect if the context needs it, for the sake of clarity, if you like.

I agree that the Oxford sentence is not very helpful. Sometimes there is no answer to the question "why?" But when there is one, the answer can be very helpful.

 

[Raymott]

In the sentence below, which is correct, A or B? Thank you.

My boyfriend asked me whether I (A. ever had B. had ever had) a crush on one of my teachers in high school.

Are you still in high school? If you have left, the simple past is OK, because it's referring to a specific time in the past.
If you are still at high school, B is better.
It's the same difference as: C. "Did you ever have a crush ..."; D. "Have you ever had a crush...."
There's also the issue of back shifting. The sentence is a report of what your boyfriend said. The past perfect, B, can used to report either C or D.
I'd say B (since I usually back shift), but whether I said C or D would depend on whether you were still at school.