Tense

Posted by Smokey Stover on April 19, 2004

In Reply to: Tense posted by Henry on April 18, 2004

: : : Hi!

: : : The following question is from TOEFL.

: : : 3. The x-ray treatments _______ up to the time that he was dismissed from the hospital.
: : : (B) were given daily
: : : (D) daily had been given

: : : The correct answer is (B). Because of what? The position of 'daily' is not appropriate in (D)? Is there any rule for the position?

: : : If (D) is 'had been given daily,' is this sentence okay? Maybe this is a better sentence than the sentence with (B) because its tense is past perfect?

: : : Thanks,

: : : Tom

: : People tend to get tense about tenses, but either (B) or (D)in the revised form is acceptable. But which is better depends on where you start. Past perfect assumes some point in the past from which the action getting the past perfect is even farther in the past. Since he has already been discharged from the hospital, then that day is our point in the past before which, etc. But (B) is also all right. What is not all right is the first version of (D), with the adverb before the verb. Adverbs can precede verbs, and often do, but this position calls attention to itself, and in any case is not used with "daily" unless you are trying to make a poetic or rhetorical statement. There may be a rule, but if there is I don't know it, unless it is: Be simple unless you have a reason to do otherwise. SS

: 'Daily' seems to be the problem. You could also say;
: Daily x-ray treatments were given up to the time that he was dismissed from the hospital.
: Daily x-ray treatments had been given up to the time that he was dismissed from the hospital.
: Both are correct English. The context will decide which is the better or more appropriate.

Henry's solution is elegant, in its way. He changes daily from an adverb to an adjective and all is hunky-dory. But who could have dreamt up the phrase "daily had been given"? SS