Korean Job Discussion Forums

[raewon]

I've got two grammar related questions for those better at dealing with questions than I am.

1. It was Christmas Eve 1996.

A student wants to know why "in" isn't used before the year. What is the correct explanation?

2. If (there were / there had been) a body, the police would have discovered it when they inspected the crime scene several days earlier.

What is the correct choice - and why.

Thanks for any help you can offer with these. Number 1. is really bugging me.

[edwardcatflap]

Tell him

1) you don't need a preposition when you use the verb to be with a time expression.
eg It was saturday, It was February, it was Christmas, it was 1996. You could use 'in', it just isn't necessary

2) The second option is correct as it refers to past time. Using simple past with if refers to unreal or imaginary situations in the present. Thus 'if there were a body' would be talking about now

[raewon]

Thanks for the reply. Well .. with prepositions of time, students usually learn "in" + a year. Since this example doesn't follow the "rule" they've learned, it was questioned. You said the preposition is optional, but I wouldn't use it in that sentence (although not sure why).

[seonsengnimble]

Not too sure about number 1. I would venture to guess that because you aren't describing anything happening in the statement, you don't really need a preposition. You are simply saying the date. "It was tuesday." "It was November." "It was 2009." If you're saying someone did something, you would use a preposition. "He studied in 2009," not "He studied 2009" unless he is actually studying the year instead of something else. The fact that there is a date before the year is irrelevant. You'd use a preposition if something was happening, but not between the date and the year. "He sang on Christmas Eve, 1996." If however, you are describing a day and not a date, you would use a preposition. "It was a Wednesday in 1996."

Number two seems like the first one is better. "If there were" fits better because it's a conditional statement. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conditional.htm.

But I think the main reason "there had been" doesn't fit is because there isn't another event in the past to compare it to. "If there had been a body before there was an investigation, the police could have found it." might make more sense.

[Easter Clark]

If you're talking about when something happened, you should use "in+ year."

I was born in 1976.

Not "I was born 1976."

However, if you are simply stating the date, the preposition is unnecessary.

"In" has many functions, so I'll just limit the explanation to this particular case.

[edwardcatflap]

I assume they've learned the rule as applied to talking about when things happened or when people did stuff. I mean you wouldn't use it in sentences like I like Christmas Eve or 1996 was a good year for pop music. Your example isn't connected to that rule either.

[edwardcatflap]

[seonsengnimble]