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I think you're the one who quoted Sparks, so you should know how it should read
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Below is a corrected version of the part of The Last Song quoted earlier. By the time Sparks got to the second line of the second paragraph, which is the sentence about walking with Jonah, he had already made six 'had' errors and was to make another six, making 12 total in the quoted material. Taking Jonah to the beach is #7 of the 12.
I have another line of inquiry going which is showing that the first 'had' error tends to compel a second and as many more 'had' errors as there are opportunities. The evidence suggests that once you get on the 'had' highway, it's hard to find an exit ramp. It's hard to stop because, presumably, of the well-taught and well-learned need to be consistent with tenses.
Sparks makes all three of the most common "had' errors: (1) he puts 'had' in front of past tense verbs, (2) he uses 'had been' where 'was' and 'were' belong, and (3) he tries to put 'had' in front of irregular past tense verbs, forcing irregular past participles.
"You can't make a past tense verb into a past perfect verb by putting 'had' in front of it." (Omar Khayyam)
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The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks, c.2009.
page 1 - Prologue - Ronnie
Staring out of the bedroom window, Ronnie wondered whether Pastor Harris was already at the church. She assumed that he was, and as she watched the waves breaking over the beach, she questioned whether he was still able to notice the play of light as it streamed through the stained-glass window above him. Perhaps not -- the window <had been> was installed more than a month ago, after all, and he was probably too preoccupied to notice anymore. Still, she hoped that someone new in town <had stumbled> stumbled into the church this morning and experienced the same sense of wonder <she'd had> she had when <she'd first seen> she first saw the light flood the church on that cold day in November. And she hoped the visitor <had taken> took some time to consider where the window <had come> came from and to admire its beauty.
She'd been awake for an hour, but she wasn't ready to face the day. The holidays felt different this year. Yesterday, <she'd taken> she took her younger brother, Jonah, for a walk down the beach. Here and there were Christmas trees on the decks of the houses they passed. At this time of year, they had the beach pretty much to themselves, but Jonah showed no interest in either the waves or the seagulls that <had fascinated> fascinated him only a few months earlier. Instead, <he'd wanted> he wanted to go to the workshop, and <she'd taken> she took him
page 2 -
there, although <he'd stayed> he stayed only a few minutes before leaving without saying a single word.
On the bedstand beside her lay a stack of framed photographs from the alcove of the small beach house, along with other items <she'd collected> she collected that morning. In the silence, she studied them until she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Her mom poked her head in.
"Do you want breakfast? I found some cereal in the cupboard."
"I'm not hungry, Mom."
"You need to eat, sweetie."
Ronnie continued to stare at the pile of photos, seeing nothing at all. "I was wrong, Mom. And I don't know what to do now."
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Nicholas Sparks is a popular writer whose books have been the basis for several successful movies but he is an egregious 'had abuser'. I'll send this to him and we'll see what he says, if anything. If he replies, I'd guess it will be akin to a reply from an author who wrote, "Stick it in your ear. It could have been a lot worse". I'm still laughing.
Another author claims that when he pulls a sheet out of the typewriter, that's the last he sees of it. He doesn't read over what he wrote, he doesn't make corrections, he never goes back, he does it once and lets 'er fly. If there are errors, well, there are errors.
You are doubtless aware that popular fiction can go from the author, to the agent, to the publisher, to the printer, without a single hand being raised to correct errors. The moral of this news must be that it is very important that grammar be taught when it is most likely to become part of what a person is and how the person thinks. If they don't get it by the time they wave good-bye to their teachers, they may never get it. Who could argue with that?
It's been interesting.
.brad.10may10.
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