It was done / It had been done yesterday











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Which one is correct and why?




It was done yesterday.




or




It had been done yesterday.











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    up vote
    0
    down vote

    favorite












    Which one is correct and why?




    It was done yesterday.




    or




    It had been done yesterday.











    share|improve this question


























      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite











      Which one is correct and why?




      It was done yesterday.




      or




      It had been done yesterday.











      share|improve this question















      Which one is correct and why?




      It was done yesterday.




      or




      It had been done yesterday.








      word-choice sentence-structure






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Jun 12 '15 at 8:12









      Eilia

      3,304103068




      3,304103068










      asked Jun 12 '15 at 6:20









      I don't know who I am.

      1392616




      1392616






















          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes

















          up vote
          0
          down vote



          accepted










          Sentence 1 is correct.
          Sentence 2: As a single sentence it is not correct, as Past Perfect is the "pre-past" in relation to a past. Here we have only one event in the past time, not two with one event before the other.






          share|improve this answer





















          • Is it clear? Sir
            – I don't know who I am.
            Jun 12 '15 at 6:52










          • He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
            – Brian Hitchcock
            Jun 12 '15 at 7:45


















          up vote
          1
          down vote













          It just depends on the context, or what you want to convey about the context. If you say to me "It had been done yesterday", I'll try to think of something that happened earlier today before which you're saying it was done. Because this is what the construction demands -- a previous temporal anchor. Say, for example, this morning someone criticized me for not getting my car repaired, but at that time, I had already taken care of it the previous day. Then the temporal anchor is the criticism.



          If I don't know of any such earlier event, I'll probably just assume there was something significant that happened earlier, and I'll be expecting you to fill me in.






          share|improve this answer





















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            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes








            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes








            up vote
            0
            down vote



            accepted










            Sentence 1 is correct.
            Sentence 2: As a single sentence it is not correct, as Past Perfect is the "pre-past" in relation to a past. Here we have only one event in the past time, not two with one event before the other.






            share|improve this answer





















            • Is it clear? Sir
              – I don't know who I am.
              Jun 12 '15 at 6:52










            • He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
              – Brian Hitchcock
              Jun 12 '15 at 7:45















            up vote
            0
            down vote



            accepted










            Sentence 1 is correct.
            Sentence 2: As a single sentence it is not correct, as Past Perfect is the "pre-past" in relation to a past. Here we have only one event in the past time, not two with one event before the other.






            share|improve this answer





















            • Is it clear? Sir
              – I don't know who I am.
              Jun 12 '15 at 6:52










            • He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
              – Brian Hitchcock
              Jun 12 '15 at 7:45













            up vote
            0
            down vote



            accepted







            up vote
            0
            down vote



            accepted






            Sentence 1 is correct.
            Sentence 2: As a single sentence it is not correct, as Past Perfect is the "pre-past" in relation to a past. Here we have only one event in the past time, not two with one event before the other.






            share|improve this answer












            Sentence 1 is correct.
            Sentence 2: As a single sentence it is not correct, as Past Perfect is the "pre-past" in relation to a past. Here we have only one event in the past time, not two with one event before the other.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Jun 12 '15 at 6:28









            rogermue

            11.7k41647




            11.7k41647












            • Is it clear? Sir
              – I don't know who I am.
              Jun 12 '15 at 6:52










            • He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
              – Brian Hitchcock
              Jun 12 '15 at 7:45


















            • Is it clear? Sir
              – I don't know who I am.
              Jun 12 '15 at 6:52










            • He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
              – Brian Hitchcock
              Jun 12 '15 at 7:45
















            Is it clear? Sir
            – I don't know who I am.
            Jun 12 '15 at 6:52




            Is it clear? Sir
            – I don't know who I am.
            Jun 12 '15 at 6:52












            He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
            – Brian Hitchcock
            Jun 12 '15 at 7:45




            He's saying the same thing as Greg Lee; namely, that without further (or prior) explanation, the reader has to conjure up (imagine) some past event to be the "temporal anchor" to justify usage of past perfect.
            – Brian Hitchcock
            Jun 12 '15 at 7:45












            up vote
            1
            down vote













            It just depends on the context, or what you want to convey about the context. If you say to me "It had been done yesterday", I'll try to think of something that happened earlier today before which you're saying it was done. Because this is what the construction demands -- a previous temporal anchor. Say, for example, this morning someone criticized me for not getting my car repaired, but at that time, I had already taken care of it the previous day. Then the temporal anchor is the criticism.



            If I don't know of any such earlier event, I'll probably just assume there was something significant that happened earlier, and I'll be expecting you to fill me in.






            share|improve this answer

























              up vote
              1
              down vote













              It just depends on the context, or what you want to convey about the context. If you say to me "It had been done yesterday", I'll try to think of something that happened earlier today before which you're saying it was done. Because this is what the construction demands -- a previous temporal anchor. Say, for example, this morning someone criticized me for not getting my car repaired, but at that time, I had already taken care of it the previous day. Then the temporal anchor is the criticism.



              If I don't know of any such earlier event, I'll probably just assume there was something significant that happened earlier, and I'll be expecting you to fill me in.






              share|improve this answer























                up vote
                1
                down vote










                up vote
                1
                down vote









                It just depends on the context, or what you want to convey about the context. If you say to me "It had been done yesterday", I'll try to think of something that happened earlier today before which you're saying it was done. Because this is what the construction demands -- a previous temporal anchor. Say, for example, this morning someone criticized me for not getting my car repaired, but at that time, I had already taken care of it the previous day. Then the temporal anchor is the criticism.



                If I don't know of any such earlier event, I'll probably just assume there was something significant that happened earlier, and I'll be expecting you to fill me in.






                share|improve this answer












                It just depends on the context, or what you want to convey about the context. If you say to me "It had been done yesterday", I'll try to think of something that happened earlier today before which you're saying it was done. Because this is what the construction demands -- a previous temporal anchor. Say, for example, this morning someone criticized me for not getting my car repaired, but at that time, I had already taken care of it the previous day. Then the temporal anchor is the criticism.



                If I don't know of any such earlier event, I'll probably just assume there was something significant that happened earlier, and I'll be expecting you to fill me in.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered Jun 12 '15 at 7:00









                Greg Lee

                14.1k2829




                14.1k2829






























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