Ant_222  +  317306 Fri, 19 Jan 07 05:03 PM Hello, everybody. Could you check wheteher I have made any mistakes in the choice of tenses in the following sentence: «Yesterday, at the exhibition, a lot of people told me it was impossible to write a 1000-page book in a month but I have written my "Brief Introduction to Arithmetics", which has 1280 pages in a small font, in a space of three weeks» Can I use Present Perfect in this way? Thanks in advance. P.S.: I know the sentence is rather weird... Ant_222 Joined on Sun, May 21 2006 Podolsk, Russia Contributing Member 1,717 Tenses, Present Perfect

	Marius Hancu  +  317309 Fri, 19 Jan 07 05:08 PM Yes, possible, with some variations: «Yesterday, at the exhibition, a lot of people told me it was impossible to write a 1000-page book in a month but I know [now, at home] (that) I have written my "Brief Introduction to Arithmetics", which has 1280 pages in a small font, in a space of three weeks» «Yesterday, at the exhibition, a lot of people told me it was impossible to write a 1000-page book in a month but I knew [then, at the exhibition] (that) I had written my "Brief Introduction to Arithmetics", which has 1280 pages in a small font, in a space of three weeks» Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Present Perfect

	Ant_222  +  317310 Fri, 19 Jan 07 05:12 PM «Yes, possible, with some variations» Ok, thanks. But I didn't fully understand you: is it correct without variations, without inserting "I know"? Ant_222 Present Perfect

	Marius Hancu  +  317313 Fri, 19 Jan 07 05:22 PM Yes, it works without the insertions, those are just for forcing the past perfect or the present perfect tense, in order to show that both are possible. Marius Hancu Tenses, Past Perfect, Present Perfect

	Goodman  +  317317 Fri, 19 Jan 07 05:34 PM  Ant_222 wrote: «Yes, possible, with some variations» Ok, thanks. But I didn't fully understand you: is it correct without variations, without inserting "I know"? Along the same line with Marius,  I'd like to add a couple cents. I know (it it possible because) I have written ....in a time span of 3 weeks. This is a statement you make now and it's correct. By the same token, if you have to make the same statement in time past, then you have to say "I knew (because ) I had written ......in a time span of 3 weeks.  Time reference can affect the context and vise versa. Goodman Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005 Senior Member 3,816 The name says it all! Present Perfect

	Ant_222  +  317346 Fri, 19 Jan 07 06:24 PM Thank you. Am I right that the same can be written in Past Simple instead of Present Perfect: «I know (it it possible because) I wrote ....in a time span of 3 weeks» At least, in AmE... Ant_222 Present Perfect, Past Simple

	Marius Hancu  +  317350 Fri, 19 Jan 07 06:29 PM I know this is possible because I wrote such a book in a time span of 3 weeks last year. Use simple past when you have a time interval unconnected with the present. Marius Hancu Simple Past, Present Perfect

	Ant_222  +  317354 Fri, 19 Jan 07 06:35 PM «I know this is possible because I wrote such a book in a time span of 3 weeks last year. Use simple past when you have a time interval unconnected with the present.» Well, will it become connected to the present if I just remove explicit indication of time ("last year")? Ant_222 Simple Past, Present Perfect

	Goodman  +  317359 Fri, 19 Jan 07 06:46 PM «I know this is possible because I wrote such a book in a time span of 3 weeks last year.   Without the time phrase “last year”, the context was clear enough to satisfy the [past] context. With it, however, the sentence is made more defined.   Goodman Present Perfect