past perfect simple (change of situation) – English Grammar Profiler

Point 66 in the category of PAST is past perfect simple used for a CHANGE OF SITUATION.

The EGP uses HAD + ‘planned’ and ‘wanted’ + ‘but’ in their examples.

Since this is a difficult structure to find in corpora due to the length of sentences, we have looked directly in Google news for examples:

HAD PLANNED

  Infrastructure Magazine On one job we actually had planned to use a trencher with machine control to dig about a 2km trench and typically we’d just use the UHF radios, but very soon after we started that job it became apparent that the UHF radios just weren’t getting reliable signal and it was dropping out quite a lot.   The New Yorker The story went like this: Phoebe and Martin had planned to spend the evening of November 1, 1977, with Martin’s father, Kingsley, the famous comic novelist, whose suite of debilitating hangups and phobias included a fear of being alone in a house after dark. (His second wife was travelling in Greece at the time.) That afternoon, however,Martin, then twenty-eight years old and already the author of two acclaimed novels, received a frantic call from an old flame who was organizing a literary festival in the North of England. *This example goes across sentences so is too hard for the complexity checker to locate safely.   mlive.com The two establishments had planned to host fundraisers this year, but they were unable to do so because of COVID-19.

HAD WANTED

  Warrnambool Standard Former Valencia captain Parejo gave a tearful goodbye press conference when he left, saying he had wanted to stay but was told to leave.   The Guardian She had wanted to get a dog but felt she couldn’t because of work.

This is too hard to find on iWeb directly as there are too many spaces possible beween words and looking for but as a collocate does not show a change of situation.  We can attempt following the basic pattern found in the EGP patterns which is:

had _vvn to _vvi and select some that appear to be discussing some kind of intention. (and later look for ‘but’)

1 HAD MANAGED TO GET 1053

2 HAD TRIED TO GET 767

Looking at the dirt around him, it appeared that he had tried to get up but couldn’t.

3 HAD COME TO SEE 683

She made no address to the multitude who had come to see her die but prayed fervently with the Ordinary for five minutes or so.

4 HAD DECIDED TO GO 661

, Robertson, Perreira were among the full backs LFC were looking at and had decided to go for Sessegnon but it didn’t work out

5 HAD DECIDED TO TAKE 543

6 HAD COME TO KNOW 534

7 HAD PLANNED TO GO 520 (‘planned’ is the egp example verb)

8 HAD PLANNED TO USE 509 9 HAD HOPED TO GET 469 10 HAD AGREED TO PAY 441 11 HAD TRIED TO MAKE 430 12 HAD FAILED TO MAKE 416 13 HAD COME TO BELIEVE 416 14 HAD COME TO EXPECT 411 15 HAD FAILED TO PROVIDE 409 16 HAD THREATENED TO KILL 383 17 HAD TRIED TO KILL 382 18 HAD FAILED TO TAKE 373 19 HAD GOTTEN TO KNOW 373 20 HAD HOPED TO SEE 370 21 HAD PLANNED TO TAKE 351 22 HAD DECIDED TO MAKE 350 23 HAD PLANNED TO MAKE 349 24 HAD CEASED TO EXIST 346 25 HAD DECIDED TO LEAVE 329 26 HAD FAILED TO PROVE 328 27 HAD FAILED TO MEET 320 28 HAD BEGUN TO TAKE 313 29 HAD HOPED TO FIND 309 30 HAD GONE TO SLEEP 299 31 HAD ARRANGED TO MEET 296 32 HAD GONE TO SEE 287 33 HAD WANTED TO GO 286 34 HAD COME TO PASS 284 35 HAD FAILED TO SHOW 278 36 HAD FAILED TO PAY 276 37 HAD HOPED TO USE 276 38 HAD COME TO VISIT 275 39 HAD MANAGED TO ESCAPE 268 40 HAD WANTED TO SEE 260 41 HAD WANTED TO MAKE 257 42 HAD EXPECTED TO SEE 255 43 HAD PLANNED TO SPEND 255 44 HAD FAILED TO COMPLY 246 45 HAD HOPED TO MAKE 243 46 HAD DECIDED TO STAY 240 47 HAD FAILED TO DISCLOSE 239 48 HAD WANTED TO GET 237 49 HAD DECIDED TO USE 236 50 HAD MANAGED TO KEEP 236 51 HAD MANAGED TO MAKE 235 52 HAD COME TO LOVE 234 53 HAD GONE TO WORK 233 54 HAD GROWN TO LOVE 233 55 HAD DECIDED TO MOVE 231 56 HAD TRIED TO USE 225 57 HAD FAILED TO ESTABLISH 222 58 HAD TRIED TO TAKE 214 59 HAD INTENDED TO USE 212 60 HAD AGREED TO MEET 208 61 HAD DECIDED TO GIVE 208 62 HAD MANAGED TO FIND 205 63 HAD PLANNED TO GET 204 64 HAD FAILED TO GET 203 65 HAD EXPECTED TO FIND 202 66 HAD FAILED TO RESPOND 202 67 HAD FAILED TO FIND 201 68 HAD AGREED TO TAKE 200 69 HAD AGREED TO SELL 200 70 HAD TRIED TO STOP 199 71 HAD STARTED TO GET 195 72 HAD GATHERED TO WATCH 193 73 HAD BEGUN TO FEEL 186 74 HAD REFUSED TO GIVE 186 75 HAD PLANNED TO STAY 185 76 HAD GROWN TO INCLUDE 181 77 HAD BEGUN TO THINK 179 78 HAD TRIED TO HELP 177 79 HAD TRIED TO FIND 176 80 HAD BEGUN TO GROW 174 81 HAD REFUSED TO TAKE 174 82 HAD PLANNED TO BUILD 171 83 HAD FORGOTTEN TO TAKE 169 84 HAD FAILED TO GIVE 168 85 HAD WANTED TO TAKE 168 86 HAD EXPANDED TO INCLUDE 166 87 HAD DECIDED TO TRY 166 88 HAD TRIED TO KEEP 165 89 HAD PROMISED TO GIVE 164 90 HAD BEGUN TO MAKE 163 91 HAD BEGUN TO FALL 162 92 HAD FORGOTTEN TO PUT 162 93 HAD GOT TO KNOW 160 94 HAD FAILED TO KEEP 159 95 HAD DECIDED TO GET 159 96 HAD FORGOTTEN TO BRING 158 97 HAD PLANNED TO ATTEND 158 98 HAD PLANNED TO VISIT 158 99 HAD COME TO TAKE 156

100 HAD COME TO LIVE 156