I was reading a book and stumbled upon this piece:
Not one person, dead or alive. Where was everyone? What had happened?
Can someone explain to me why this sentence is in past perfect? What is the difference between
What happened? What had happened? or What has happened?
and how to use them?
PS. English is not my native language.
Best Answer
"Not one person, dead or alive. Where was everyone? What had happened?"
Hi, it basically reflects timing. In this example the guy propably entered a room and saw no one: "Where was everyone". What had happened reflects that something happened before he entered the room and thought "where was everyone".
If we bring forward the same to the present it would look like this: "Not one person, dead or alive. Where is everyone? What happened?"
So "what happened" points to a time in the past which is before "Where is everyone"
Hope it's clear...