Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Chan-Seung Lee]

[CP]

1. The difference between "I had mentioned" and "I mentioned" is that "had mentioned" refers to further back in time. No doubt the author wrote it that way because he or she also told about a different (later) period of time in contrast.

Example: "I was talking with Mary about modern cinema. I had mentioned [earlier in the day or 12 years before, etc.] that I didn't really like contemporary music. But some movies just won't work without music from the right period, and then contemporary music is fine with me. Take 'Kill Bill,' for example. . . ."

Contrast that with: "I mentioned to Mary [right then and there] that I didn't really like contemporary music. She said that she never listened to anything over a year old. . . ."

2. It could mean that she mentioned that she had gone shopping earlier, or it could mean that she mentioned the topic of going shopping.

"I asked Mary what she liked to do on the weekends, and she mentioned going shopping. I changed the subject right away, for fear she might ask me to go with her."
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