ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: tense switching

Anonymous — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:29:28 GMT

Thank you, again.

How about this -- would you say if something in the sentence shows currency relevancy, then the use of a present perfect is good regardless how many years that 'something' goes back in time?

Can you provide an example which supports my argument?

Re: tense switching

CalifJim — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:21:43 GMT

Anonymous
it should be OK to use the present perfect?

I was in an accident that has resulted in direct monetary loss for me and which left many people with injuries.

I would say yes.

Re: tense switching

Anonymous — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:25:10 GMT

Thank you.

You wrote:

South African police and military units raided three hostels Thursday in a clampdown on xenophobic attacks that have left more than 40 dead, authorities said.

The raid was last Thursday. The deaths may or may not have occured before the raid. .

The reporter is considering the time that the authorities 'said ' this to be 'present time', because they probably said it very recently.

Does it always have to be a close-in-time thing? Can an argument for current relevancy prevail -- that is if something is of concern presently and the sentence is talking about it and then, it should be OK to use the present perfect?

I was in an accident that has resulted in direct monetary loss for me and which left many people with injuries.

Re: tense switching

Marius Hancu — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:07:45 GMT

See:

Verb Tense Consistency
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_tensec.html

Re: tense switching

New2grammar — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:15:53 GMT

Thanks, RayH and Kooyen for making sure. Yes. I noticed CJ changed it and no way my original sentence could be correct.

Re: tense switching

Kooyeen — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:09:07 GMT

CalifJim
I met an old high school friend ... yesterday. It had been three years since we'd talked. << This is technically correct.
I met an old high school friend ... yesterday. It has been three years since we've talked. << Acceptable to my ear,

Hi Ray,
Jim already corrected N2G's sentence in his post, but maybe it wasn't so noticeable... So yeah, it won't be a bad thing to point it out, in case N2G didn't notice.

Re: tense switching

RayH — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:00:30 GMT

New2grammar
Can I say the following, I met an old high school friend at the grocery store yesterday. It has been 3 years since we'd talked.

This doesn't sound right.
How about "It's been three years since we talked."
Or "It's been three years since we've talked."

New2grammar
It should be "It had been 3 years since we'd talked". Could it be correct, loosely speeking?

This seems OK to me.

Re: tense switching

optilang — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:57:15 GMT

Actually I didn't think it was a bad joke! I saw the funny side of it and was playing along!

Re: tense switching

New2grammar — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:55:42 GMT

Actually, the message was meant for Optilang in case s/he asked why I reposted the same question. Apparently, it was a bad joke.

Thanks, CJ for the Third opinion :)

Re: tense switching

optilang — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:45:56 GMT

I can supply the third opinion - I agree with the second!!

Re: tense switching

CalifJim — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:42:07 GMT

New2grammar
I need a third opinion.

Well, I'll give you a second opinion and someone else can give you the third!

I met an old high school friend ... yesterday. It had been three years since we'd talked. << This is technically correct.

I met an old high school friend ... yesterday. It has been three years since we've talked. << Acceptable to my ear, probably because yesterday is so recent that we can include it psychologically in the same broad present in which this conversation is occurring. This is nevertheless technically 'wrong'. But note that sometimes what is 'wrong' from a strict mathematical view of time relationships is quite idiomatic linguistically and psychologically.

However, my ear would not like this:

That was the year I ran into an old high school friend -- 1995 I think it was. Anyway, it has been three years since we've talked. (NO! Here my ear would want had been and we'd.)

Re: tense switching

New2grammar — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:33:44 GMT

Very clear to me! Thanks Clive.

Can I say the following, I met an old high school friend at the grocery store yesterday. It has been 3 years since we'd talked.

My understanding is this is wrong. It should be "It had been 3 years since we'd talked". Could it be correct, loosely speeking?

I need a third opinion.

Re: tense switching

Clive — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:21:05 GMT

Hi,

I have seen tense switching occurring many times when I don't see a good reason. I posted some of these sentences before and was told not to change tenses. Here's another sentence and it's from CNN. If you think the writer used it wrongly, could you please tell me what was in his head when he wrote that so I can at least understand what he/she was thinking.

South African police and military units raided three hostels Thursday in a clampdown on xenophobic attacks that have left more than 40 dead, authorities said.

The raid was last Thursday. The deaths may or may not have occured before the raid. .

The reporter is considering the time that the authorities 'said ' this to be 'present time', because they probably said it very recently.

Here's another.startclickprintexclude>

Police said 42 people have been killed in the violence, which began last week in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township and has been concentrated in the city's poorest areas.It's the same general idea here. The violence began last week. The killing and 'concentrating' have occured in the period from then up to the present time.

Let me know if you need more explanation.

best wishes, Clive

tense switching

New2grammar — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:18:26 GMT

South African police and military units raided three hostels Thursday in a clampdown on xenophobic attacks that have left more than 40 dead, authorities said.

Here's another.startclickprintexclude>

Police said 42 people have been killed in the violence, which began last week in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township and has been concentrated in the city's poorest areas.

Thanks in advance!