In Tenses^x, Present perfect^x

From what I remember from my grammar classes years ago, the simple past is used for time specific events and the present perfect tense is used to refer to non-time specific events/ general experiences. As such, is it incorrect to state the following : I have already eaten my dinner. or I ate my...

Of course they wouldn't say that, Jim. Most don't even know what the names of verb tenses/forms are. That's the reason I specifically mentioned people who are NOT English (ESL) teachers. I'll grant you that a single difference in usage might slip by unremarked, but repeated or...

Then use the other one! Nobody's going to notice any difference anyway!The imperative can't influence anything in the past, so I associate a present tense, or a present perfect tense, with an imperative. You see, the simple past puts an imaginary wall between you and the event...

Hi HuevosIf you are a native speaker, then I'm sure you also realize that a native speaker will understand whether that 'sss' sound is there or not. In other words, a native speaker knows whether someone is saying somebody's or somebody. What I'm saying is that in the scenario...

Hi YvesI'd say there are a couple of reasons for my (personal) preference of the present perfect in the examples you gave earlier:1. The past activities I'm mentioning in the email probably took place extremely recently, and the fact that I'm currently writing about those very recent...

Hi YSchneider It sounds like someone might have told you that Americans hardly ever use the present perfect, and that you are now noticing that that just isn't true. Am I right?Anyway, to answer your question, yes, it is also possible to use the simple past tense in the sentences you posted. ...

This strikes me as a philosophical question. Suppose we place a coin on an inclined table which has been fitted with an electric vibrator. We mount a videocamera above, looking perpendicularly at the table top, with no visible reference to the true horizontal. We turn on the vibrator and the...

I feel the same.But there's nothing I could find in the original example that sets up the idea that I am typing out an e-mail!Here's my version.I had been having so much trouble with some new software that I didn't think I would ever manage to get a picture attached to an e-mail that...

Hi YSchneiderYes, that's one of the sentences I might disagree with CalifJim about. If I were typing out an e-mail and wanted to tell the person that I was sending an attachment with it, I doubt that I would use the simple past tense. I'd probably use either the present perfect OR the...

Hi, YSchneider. I am not a native speaker and this is indeed a tough grammar point for non-native speakers.Here is an extract from CGEL*: Did you lock the front door?