User:Coder Dan/Bad style
Misusing the pluperfect[edit]
Many editors use the past-perfect tense ("it had happened", "they had done it") to indicate that something occurred a "long" time ago. This is incorrect. The pluperfect (past perfect) indicates that the event occurred before some other time that is also in the past. It should be used only when two conditions are satisfied: (a) the intermediate time is specified, and (b) the fact that the event occurred before that time is important (notable). In all other cases, the simple past tense should be used ("it happened", "they did it").
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- Partially inspired by the novel The Scarlet Letter, the film was shot at Screen Gems studios.
- Based on a true story, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
- influenced by Atlas Shrugged ..., it was written and directed by Brad Bird
- Filmed in several locations ... it premiered on HBO ...
- Lying north of Des Moines, it had a 2010 population of 58,965.
- Use of fancy words as a substitute for good writing
- "Subsequently" has become something of a fetish on Wikipedia. In most cases, "later" would be just as precise and less intimidating.
- "Garner(ed)" is a loaded word that show-business writers use for its emotional affect on readers. It's not encyclopedic, so it should never be used on Wikipedia. "Receiv(ed)" is a good substitute.