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[EFLImpudence]

Some people here obviously use different rules to me for comprehending "before the meter was fitted"...

Another of those potential ambiguities of the English language, I suppose. How about ...

"I re-painted the object before any rust was present"? That doesn't imply that rust was ever necessarily present, does it?

No, but it implies there was no meter then but there is now.

In context, if there actually is still no meter, maybe it would have been clearer to say "before a (or 'any') meter was fitted" ?

That "was" implies there is now a meter.
If there still is no meter then the correct wording would be "before the meter is fitted".

 

[JohnW2]

"I re-painted the object before any rust was present"? That doesn't imply that rust was ever necessarily present, does it?

No, but it implies there was no meter then but there is now.

Why different in the two cases? As I said, I think the meter statement appears somewhat ambiguous.

In context, if there actually is still no meter, maybe it would have been clearer to say "before a (or 'any') meter was fitted" ?

That "was" implies there is now a meter.

I don't think that "before any meter was fitted" would necessarily imply that there is now a meter, would it?

If there still is no meter then the correct wording would be "before the meter is fitted".

Well, it depends. Strictly speaking, that statement would only be correct if one were certain that a meter is going to be fitted.

Whatever, there is obviously a lack of clarity in what has been written. Rather than debating the English, what we should be asking for is clarification as to whether or not a meter has now been fitted.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

Meter man is likely to kick off when he turns up.