Learn English – When do we use the verb third form

verbs

I had left the train before my brother spoken.
I had left the train before my brother spoke.
I had left the train before my brother speak.

What is difference, can anyone explain?

Best Answer

 I had left the train before my brother spoke.

not spoken

 I had left the train before my brother spoken.

This is incorrect because it lacks an auxiliary verb.. Without the auxiliary verb, spoken takes on the form of an adjective.

The words are spoken

The spoken words were fantastic

To make your incorrect sentence correct, you simply need to add the verb to have

I had left the train before my brother had spoken.

In this example, we are using the past perfect tense of to have

My brother had spoken

[........] had eaten

[........] had fallen

[........] had jumped

[........] had unexpectedly lain an egg, like a chicken.

Your last sentence is also incorrect

 I had left the train before my brother speak.

This makes no sense at all.

It needs to be in the past tense.

my brother speak[s]

my brother spoke

and it would then be correct.

Related Solutions

Learn English – Difference between “has + verbed” and “had + verbed”

SHORT ANSWER:
The present perfect is used to describe an action which causes a present state.
The past perfect is used to describe an action which caused a past state.

LONG ANSWER:
The verb form usually employed to signify your started-and-finished in the past is the simple past.

I ate dinner.

This says nothing about what went before or came after. It is a complete 'historical' action, what grammarians call perfective (not 'perfect').

The perfect constructions in English signify something different. Although they name actions which occurred in the past, they define that past action as still relevant at a later time, as causing a state which endures into that later time.

The present perfect construction employs the present form of HAVE to signal that the later time is now, Speech Time, the time when you speak or write the sentence. You use this construction to describe your present state:

I have eaten dinner (so I'm not hungry now or so I can see you immediately without having to eat dinner first, or whatever the consequence is).

The past perfect construction employs the past form of HAVE to signal that the later time is then, Reference Time, the 'historical' time defined in the sentence's larger context by your use of simple past forms. You use this construction to describe your state at that time:

I had eaten dinner (so I wasn't hungry then).

Note that perfect constructions require a context. The context for using the present perfect construction need not be specified: it 'defaults' to the present, Speech Time. But you use the past perfect only when you are narrating past events: a Reference Time must be established by using one or more past forms.

Employing the present perfect makes a statement about Speech Time, the present.
Employing the past perfect makes a statement about Reference Time, a specific point in the past.

Note also that because the present perfect construction is a statement about the present, you are not permitted to use it with an adverbial referring to a point in the past:

^✲ I have eaten dinner yesterday. This must be expressed as
I ate dinner yesterday.

^✲ marks a usage as unacceptable

Learn English – inform of, come to know something or aware of

Consider there's your colleague named Jack. One bad day, he has been sacked. In this context, I'll try to answer your questions.

You asked the differences. Here are they.

You are informed (-sense#1) of something ~ You are informed of Jack's sacking.

Either someone told you or you got this information from somewhere (maybe, an email or something for example). Point to note: You did not do any effort to know this piece of news.

You come to know something ~ You come to know that Jack has been sacked

This is quite similar to the above one but when you inform someone, it's official and when you come to know something, it could be through gossip, general talk or things the like. Point to note: You may or may not do any effort for this. This may come as your efforts, coincidence (employees were talking about it and suddenly you came) or luck. In other words, say, you enter into gossip that has been already going on and there, the topic of Jack's sacking comes (with no effort, you came to know this news) or you toss a topic of current sacking in the company and someone tells you that Jack has been sacked (you made some efforts to know who all are been sacked).

And lastly,

You are aware of something ~ You are aware of Jack's sacking

This means Jack's sacking is probably declared and well known. You know or realize this news (sense #1, sense #2 is also possible but then it'll be in a different context) and you are pretty well aware of it. In this context, being aware means the person who's talking to you is probably confirmed that Jack's sacking is not a secret to you anymore. And again, you are aware of it.

Now the second question:

No, they are not interchangeable all the time.

You cannot be aware of something unless that something is being informed to you. Check the example there: "I don't think people are really aware of just how much it costs." True, you have to inform them to make them aware.

Likewise, if you come to know something, it does not necessarily mean that someone informed you. The knowledge of that something has come to you because of your efforts, luck or coincidence.

Hope this helps.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Learn English – Difference between “has + verbed” and “had + verbed”

Learn English – inform of, come to know something or aware of

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