A Tense Nitpick

rogersgeorge on July 30th, 2023

Last panel, last sentence.

The sentence is grammatical, but the past perfect would be better. “What if she heard me” refers to the immediate past, or at least something more or less right now. “What if she had heard me” allows the event to take place and its effect continue into some point in the past.

Subtle, I admit.

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Rogers George has been a technical writer for more than 20 years. He has written on subjects as diverse as outhouse assembly, restaurant reviews, software, information security, and scientific equipment. He has his own writing consultancy and is always happy to discuss writing and grammar. Drop him a line at curmudgeon@writing-rag.com.

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