# It might be correct but it drives me batshit! (bitching about past tense) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752 "2007-02-11T19:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/21 "2007-02-12T06:54:27Z")
For me, the storyline of _Fool’s Errand_ was compelling enough. 🙂 Have you stopped reading the book altogether? I swear the rest of the series makes it worthwhile to endure a paragraph of "had"s. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/22 "2007-02-12T07:02:14Z")
[QUOTE=HazelNutCoffee] For me, the storyline of _Fool’s Errand_ was compelling enough. 🙂 Have you stopped reading the book altogether? I swear the rest of the series makes it worthwhile to endure a paragraph of "had"s. [/QUOTE] > [@AntiePam](#): > > I’ll keep reading. I’ve read the first six of the nine books that Hobb set in this particular world, and I want to see how Fitz’s story ends. I expect it’ll be fine from here on. -Kris ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/23 "2007-02-12T12:01:35Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] By the way, if you liked the passage you’re talking about, you’ll love: John, where Mary had had “had ‘had had,’” had had “had had ‘had had.’” “Had had ‘had had’” had had more votes as the correct usage. [/QUOTE] Am I the only person who has no idea what this is about? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/24 "2007-02-12T16:18:44Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Am I the only person who has no idea what this is about? [/QUOTE] John and Mary are writing papers, say. There was some dispute over whether, in a particular grammatical situation, one should write “had ‘had had’” or “had had ‘had had.’” John went for one usage, Mary went for the other. John and Mary’s colleagues chimed in as to which was correct, and decided John’s was the right usage. John, where Mary had had “had ‘had had,’” had had “had had ‘had had.’” “Had had ‘had had’” had had more votes as the correct usage. 🙂 The cat the dog the mouse bit chased ran. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/25 "2007-02-12T22:09:05Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] The cat the dog the mouse bit chased ran. [/QUOTE] I don’t think you can use [Reverse Polish Notation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation) on English sentences. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/26 "2007-02-13T09:52:18Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] The cat the dog the mouse bit chased ran. -FrL- [/QUOTE] Excellent! The cat ran. What cat? The cat that the dog chased. What dog? The dog that the mouse bit. You know, you could take this to _ridiculous_ extremes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/27 "2007-02-13T15:44:53Z")
[QUOTE=sturmhauke] I don’t think you can use [Reverse Polish Notation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation) on English sentences. [/QUOTE] Heh, hadn’t thought of that way 🙂 But in fact, I guess, in a sense, you can: The cat the dog chased ran. That one looks okay to me grammatically, though its bad style. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/28 "2007-02-13T16:02:13Z")
I think the issue here is **aspect** , not tense, since it’s all in the past. Anyway, there are ways of indicating the sequence of past events without using the past perfect: “John went to the market after he ran out of milk.” But it’s really a question of style, often a way of putting new information toward the end of the sentence, or vice versa. But if the style really bothers you that much, I suggest you read a different book. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/29 "2007-02-13T16:17:06Z")
That’s not the book I wanted to be read to up out of about. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/30 "2007-02-13T17:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] That’s not the book I wanted to be read to up out of about. [/QUOTE] Will you get your explanation of what you brought that book I don’t like to be read aloud to out of about Down Under up for over with? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752/31 "2007-02-13T17:56:31Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Will you get your explanation of what you brought that book I don’t like to be read aloud to out of about Down Under up for over with? [/QUOTE] Maybe, if that’ll get my point across. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-be-correct-but-it-drives-me-batshit-bitching-about-past-tense/391752.md?page=1)