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 L. Tuten, PhD
Professor of English
Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program
803-786-3706
From:
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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