EyeSeeYou  +  446178 Sun, 25 Nov 07 08:21 PM ...And the weather. We  have had  (have) a lot of rain over the country since the beginning of the week and unfortunately this will continue until the weekend. For your information, last week _________  (be) the wettest April week for 100 years. The way I see it: I'd use present perfect if April is not over yet. Now, if April is over, the simpe past would be the right choice. Do you agree? How would you solve it? EyeSeeYou Joined on Tue, Dec 21 2004 Full Member 212 Present Perfect

	Grammar Geek  +  446181 Sun, 25 Nov 07 08:26 PM Yes, we have had a lot of rain makes sense to me. What about the other question? Last week ___ the wettest ... Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Present Perfect

	CalifJim  +  446242 Mon, 26 Nov 07 12:56 AM For your information, last week _________  (be) the wettest April week for 100 years. The way I see it: I'd use present perfect if April is were not over yet. Now, if April is over, the simple past would be the right choice. Do you agree? No.  How would you solve it?  Your reasoning is correct, in general, but it's last week that's in question, not April.  Last week is always (by definition) already past, so you need  ..., last week was the wettest ...week ... If the sentence had been different, and April were not yet over, you might have had ... this month has been the wettest April ... CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,465 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Simple Past, Present Perfect

	EyeSeeYou  +  446418 Mon, 26 Nov 07 01:25 PM Hi CalifJim. Sorry, I still don't quite get it. there's no indication that April is or isn't over yet. That 'last week' may very well be one of the three weeks of April, or the fourth, in which case simple past is the only option. In the former option case, in the past 100 years, that week has been the wettest Arpil week (still, the three, two or one remaing week(s) could be as wet or wetter than that week). EyeSeeYou Simple Past, Present Perfect

	Yankee  +  446443 Mon, 26 Nov 07 02:26 PM Hi EyeSeeYou It doesn't really matter whether April is finished or not.  "Last week" is always finished and complete, and therefore the simple past tense is appropriate.  The present perfect can be used when you say "in the last week".  That refers to the seven days up until today.   In other words, "in the last week" might be used to refer to the seven-day period of time that started last Wednesday and continued up until today. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,506 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Tenses, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Tenses

	EyeSeeYou  +  446960 Tue, 27 Nov 07 03:00 PM Alright, but how about when you say -- and I'm making this up-- that winning that championship (something that started and finished, naturally) has been the best highlight. Aren't we dealing here with the same kind of situation? EyeSeeYou Present Perfect

	CalifJim  +  447064 Tue, 27 Nov 07 06:51 PM Absent any further context I would say Winning that championship was the best highlight. If something happened within a period of time that finished before the present time, whether it was winning a championship or it was last week, you need the past tense. If the time period continues up to the present time, you need the present perfect. It's the time period that the speaker has in mind that's important, not the exact time that the event occurred. CJ CalifJim Tenses, Present Perfect, Past Tenses

	Goodman  +  447091 Tue, 27 Nov 07 08:12 PM  EyeSeeYou wrote: ...And the weather. We  have had  (have) a lot of rain over the country since the beginning of the week and We  have had  (have) a lot of rain over the country since the beginning of the week and unfortunately this will continue until the weekend. For your information, last week _________  (be) the wettest April week for 100 years.. For your information, last week _________  (be) the wettest April week for 100 years. The way I see it: I'd use present perfect if April is not over yet. Now, if April is over, the simpe past would be the right choice. Do you agree? How would you solve it? <<<and unfortunately this will continue until the weekend.>>> Did you mean the rain will last through Saturday and Sunday? Or, the end of the week ( meaning Friday)? We  have had  a lot of rain in our weather since the beginning of the week and unfortunately this pattern will continue until the end of the week / weekend. For your information, last week was the wettest week in April for the last 100 years.     Goodman Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005 Senior Member 3,816 The name says it all! Present Perfect