I would argue that it could be a sentence, but only in the context of other
sentences.
Imagine that next year, after a new president has been inaugurated, someone
asks me, "Prior to inauguration day, who had been President?" I would
answer, "George Bush had been President." Isn't that a sentence? And isn't
the tense correct? "Had been" seems correct here to me, though, *only*
because at the time the question was asked of me, the inauguration day was
in the past. Thus, the "being President" was completed prior to the event
that occurred in the simple past-the inauguration. Brad, as I understand
tenses, this is what everyone has been trying to explain to you: the past
perfect only makes sense in context-in particular, in relation to another
event in the simple past.
DD, as I understand the phrase "sequence of tenses," this is what you were
getting at earlier, right? That is, the past perfect only makes sense in the
context of an event in the simple past?
I'm always fearful that when I post something to this list, I'm just showing
my ignorance. But the opportunity to learn is worth that risk, so I will
look forward to hearing where I'm missing the mark here.
Nancy
Nancy L. Tuten, PhD
Professor of English
Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program
Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
803-786-3706
_____
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad Johnston
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 5:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Addition to George Bush
Brad Johnston <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
George bush has been president for 7 years (and still is).
After he's gone, George Bush was president for 8 years.
I should have said in here:
"George Bush IS president", is a sentence.
"George Bush WAS president", is a sentence.
"George Bush had been president", is not a sentence. It cannot stand alone.
It's a "fragment". If you have a better word than "fragment", I can live
with it.
If you think "George Bush had been president", is a sentence, someone tell
me what it means.
.brad.17feb08.
Craig Hancock <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I have a hard time with the implication that perfect aspect
does no work.
Gorge Bush is President for seven years.
George Bush was President for seven years.
George Bush has been President for seven years.
For the most part, the third one sounds right to me (in the
context of our
current situation) because it conveys the sense of a continuing
reality.
It sounds right because there's a form/meaning match. We can do
that a
number of ways (He is in the final year of a second four year
term),but
"taste">leaves me uncomfortable.
I don't think you are in that camp, but most people believe
grammar is
about what's correct or what's tasteful, and that's one reason
it's out
of favor.
What does perfect aspect do? Don't we need to define that in
functional
terms?
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