Brad,
   Asking for "simple answers" seems to mean agreeing with you. It's hard to keep answering questions when it seems clear that only certain answers are going to be listened to.
   "predicted" in sentence b does not have tense. Tense in a verb phrase is always carried by the finite auxiliary, in this case "had." "Predicted"
is past participle, though identical in form with past tense, as is true for all regular verbs. (You can see this more readily with irregular verbs, like "break". "The vase he broke" is past tense. "The vase he had broken" is past tense, perfect aspect. If we want to make it present perfect, we say "has broken". The finite carries the burden of tense and subject verb agreement.)
   Past perfect reinforces the notion that the prediction came before the storm. Perhaps more accurately, it conveys the notion that the prediction had been completed prior to the storm's arrival. Since predictions tend to be prior, it may be unnecessary, but would hardly be misleading or wrong.
   A more necessary example might be "Two hours before the storm, the weather service predicted heavy snowfall, but that was not what they had predicted."
   What frustrates me is that you switched sentences to "predict" rather than continue a conversation about "Colin had been a spy." The spy sentence is better because being does not imply a time sequence.
   People have given you thoughtful examples that you never responded to. "Colin was a spy" and "Colin had been a spy" mean different things.
   We often include redundant features in speech and writing, as you have done with "both" in "both early and severe." The sentence works fine without it, but I wouldn't call it wrong.

Craig
Brad Johnston wrote:

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Cries for closure are heard throughout the land, cries I can happily accommodate if y'all will (a) try to stay focused, and (b) give me simple answers to simple questions.

~~~~~~~~~

What does this sentence mean?

( a ) The first snowstorm of the season in Denver was both early and severe, which was not what the weather service predicted.

Insepar: First, the weather service predicted something other than an early and severe snowstorm for Denver and then, contrary to that prediction, an early and severe snowstorm happened.

Brad: Thank you. Now, what does this sentence mean?

( b ) The first snowstorm of the season in Denver was both early and severe, which was not what the weather service had predicted.

Insepar: First, the weather service predicted something other than an early and severe snowstorm for Denver and then, contrary to that prediction, an early and severe snowstorm happened.

Brad: So you think ( a ) and ( b ) mean exactly the same thing?

Insepar: Yes.

Brad: What is the tense of the verb "predicted" in sentence ( a ) ?

Insepar: The verb "predicted" in sentence ( a ) is a past tense verb.

Brad: What is the tense of the verb "predicted" in sentence ( b ) ?

~~~~~~~~~

ATEGians, how say you? What is the tense of the verb "predicted" in sentence ( b ) ?

.brad.08sep08.

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