Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Jerry Chen]

Hello,

Please help me with the following sentences:

In each case, which is correct?


1. He smiles at the two foreigners as if he knew them.
He smiles at the two foreigners as if he had known them.

2. He runs away quickly as if he saw a ghost.
He runs away quickly as if he had seen a ghost.

Thanks for responding to my question.

[pugachevV]

I think it should be:- "He smiles at the two foreigners as if he knows them."

If you know someone - you know them. It is a present tense situation.

But of your two choices I would say, " ...as if he had known them." is the better choice.

2. He runs away quickly as if he had seen a ghost is correct. A ghost, so I am led to believe, is a fleeting apparition, so he is running now from what he had seen.