Anonymous  +  227201 Sat, 20 May 06 11:05 AM Dear Group, Can I start a sentence in present perfect tense and then later go into past tense while being on same subject. e.g. We've been to the local supermarkets and brought some stationeries and etc. Appreciate if anyone could comment, thank you. Regards, Jeeva    Anonymous Tenses, Past Tenses, Present Perfect, Regards

	MrPedantic  +  227216 Sat, 20 May 06 12:46 PM Hello Jeeva Your example is a little misleading, as it allows for ellipsis, i.e. 1. We have been to the local supermarket and (have) bought some stationery, etc. To test for whether we can mix the present perfect with the simple past, we need to use an irregular verb for the second verb. Here's an example. First, a present perfect in both clauses, as in #1: 2. We've been to Buckingham Palace and (have) seen the Queen. Now compare: 3. We've been to Buckingham Palace and saw the Queen. To my ears, this is a little awkward; it would be better to use either #2, or to write: 4. We've been to Buckingham Palace; we saw the Queen. MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 13,616 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Verbs, Tenses, Present Perfect, Clauses, Simple Past

	Marius Hancu  +  227303 Sat, 20 May 06 05:57 PM MrP said: >2. We've been to Buckingham Palace and (have) seen the Queen. Yes, I too prefer this version. The others are playing with the temporal sense of the reader and possibly messing him up. Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Tenses

	CalifJim  +  227703 Mon, 22 May 06 07:10 AM we need to use an irregular verb for the second verb Wasn't brought [sic] (bought) irregular?  CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,128 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Verbs, Tenses

	MrPedantic  +  227918 Tue, 23 May 06 12:40 AM So it is! I was looking for a word that meant "with different forms for the past participle and simple past". The wrong one presented itself... MrPedantic Tenses, Simple Past