ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

Cool Breeze — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:04:17 GMT

The combination you mention doesn't seem to bother me. In that context since then made me think since the meeting . He hasn't returned since the meeting seems all right to me. Although ... Hmm... Maybe I was thinking, He hasn't returned since going overseas . That's what I was thinking . Since then seems to admit of more than one interpretation in the sentence. That may have been a subconscious factor for me as well. As you are a native speaker who spends 24 hours a day in total immersion in English, it is only natural that you are more accustomed than I to subtleties like this. CB

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

CalifJim — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:04:17 GMT

Thanks, CB. I vaguely see what you mean. The combination you mention doesn't seem to bother me. In that context since then made me think since the meeting . He hasn't returned since the meeting seems all right to me. Although ... Hmm... Does that give you the sense that he returned at the time of the meeting, but not again since then? In that case, I think I see your point. Maybe I was thinking, He hasn't returned since going overseas . CJ

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

Cool Breeze — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:04:17 GMT

Since then is wrong in your sentence. I tried to see your remark as correct, but after some thought, I still failed to see the wrongness you were pointing out. Can you please elaborate? Thanks! "Jack wasn't present at the meeting yesterday because he had gone overseas. Since then, he hasn't returned." Hmm... As Goodman says, I think it's this combination of yesterday + since then + hasn't returned that bothers my ear. The fact that one can return only once if one has gone overseas seems to me to be an exacerbating factor for some reason. I can't think of a grammatical reason, though. My ear is probably wrong as you, a native speaker, see nothing wrong with the sentence. CB

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

bhikkhu1991 — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:04:17 GMT

Hello, Jack wasn't present at the meeting yesterday because he had gone overseas. Since then, he hasn't returned . I too have question with the use of “since” in this context for some reason. I am trying to see the context better by changing it slightly for comparison. I would say, the following sentence is a mirror in structure to the posted question, except for “since”. I’D d think it’s fine to omit it. "Jack was not able to make it to your wedding last week because he had done overseas on a urgent call from his boss. He still hasn’t returned yet." I think the problem is on "yesterday" which makes the usage of "since" raht

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

Goodman — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:04:17 GMT

Jack wasn't present at the meeting yesterday because he had gone overseas. Since then, he hasn't returned . I too have question with the use of “since” in this context for some reason. I am trying to see the context better by changing it slightly for comparison. I would say, the following sentence is a mirror in structure to the posted question, except for “since”. I’D d think it’s fine to omit it. "Jack was not able to make it to your wedding last week because he had done overseas on a urgent call from his boss. He still hasn’t returned yet." I think the problem is on "yesterday" which makes the usage of "since" rahter awkward. That's just my opinion.

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

CalifJim — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:04:17 GMT

Since then is wrong in your sentence. I tried to see your remark as correct, but after some thought, I still failed to see the wrongness you were pointing out. Can you please elaborate? Thanks! CJ

Re: Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

Cool Breeze — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:04:17 GMT

Jack wasn't present at the meeting yesterday because he had gone overseas. Since then, he hasn't returned. I would say: He hasn't returned yet, if anything is needed after the first sentence. Since then is wrong in your sentence. CB

Past perfect tenses or Present perfect tenses?

bhikkhu1991 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:04:17 GMT

Hello, Jack wasn't present at the meeting yesterday because he had gone overseas. Since then, he hasn't returned. Could you please explain whether to use past perfect tenses or present perfect tenses in place of the underlined words? Please note Jack is still alive until now. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you. With best wishes.