Tomix  +  14453 Sat, 29 Nov 03 09:49 PM Hello Forum, I'm a bit lost here... Consider this sentence: "She __________________ (not always, be) interested in politics, but she is now." Do I need to say "she hasn't always been" (always + present perfect) OR Do I need to say " she wasn't always" (past simple, because the not being interested is over) ??????? or can I use both? I want to know what the rule is and what educated native speakers use. None of my clever books could fill me in on this... both sound okay to me... hmmm, I actually think that the PAST SIMPLE is correct, and that te ePRESEN PEREFECT is wrong. But I have a hint of a doubt... I teach English but am not a native speaker. Please help, thank you. Tom Tomix Joined on Sat, Nov 29 2003 New Member 09 Present Perfect, Past Simple

	krmjr  +  14457 Sat, 29 Nov 03 10:53 PM "She wasn't always" is correct. Using the past simple indicates that a condition that was true in the past has ceased to be true. "She hasn't always" suggests that she wasn't always, and that she still isn't. Use the present perfect to describe conditions that were true in the past and that are still true. krmjr Joined on Sat, Nov 29 2003 New Member 26 Present Perfect, Past Simple

	Tomix  +  14459 Sat, 29 Nov 03 11:07 PM Yo, thank you. I figured as much, but after reading so many student copies that got it wrong, I got VERY confused. I can't actually think of ANY example in which "hasn't always" could be used. Can you? Tomix Present Perfect, Past Simple

	krmjr  +  14499 Sun, 30 Nov 03 04:02 PM Hmm...consider the following examples: "She doesn't remember to take her medicine." (Present tense and progressive form; she never takes her medicine, both in the past and now.) "She didn't remember to take her medicine." (Simple past; at some point in the past, she forgot to take her medicine.) "She hasn't always remembered to take her medicine." (Present perfect; there have been instances in the past where she has forgotten to take her medicine, and that condition of forgetting continues.) krmjr Tenses, Present Tenses, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Simple

	Tomix  +  14501 Sun, 30 Nov 03 04:12 PM oh dear... you're absolutely right. thanks. Tomix Present Perfect, Past Simple

	Clive  +  953886 Mon, 26 Oct 09 08:42 PM Hi, could you pls let me know whether this sentence is correct grammatically or not? *if i haven't received any reply till today, i will return the shpt to the customs.* in advance thank you for your help   No, it's not correct. Two capital letters are missing. (Can you see where they should be?) Abbreviations should not be used in careful English, and the abbreviation 'shpt' is not even commonly used in less careful English.   When you write this, do you not know whether you have received a reply 'today'? Possibly you should say 'by the end of business today'. 'By' is better than 'till'.   Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,650 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Capital Letters, Abbreviations, Present Tenses, Spelling, Present Perfect, Past Tenses, Past Simple, Writing, Sentences, Business, Careers