Search results for 'tag:Learn English tag:Simple past' matching tags 'Learn English' and 'Simple past'

Re: the tense

Doll — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:57:58 GMT

Hello New Guest,

I really understand what you are looking for because when I was at intermediate level, I was questioning everything like you and interested in thinking every sentence in detail. Past perfect tense was my favourite.I questioned and thought about its usage for years because it wasn't an existing tense in my native language. I felt inefficient when I didn't use past perfect or had questions about it in my mind. To tell the truth, sometimes I still have. This is because I learn English as a foreign language and I don't have a native spaking environment key which will open the doors of questions so, it takes ,really, years to completely grab the real and accurate usage of something. This goes for present perfect tense and modals too. The thing you should do, if you care what I say, just to be patient. After years, I am sure, you will regard both tenses same even the past simple better in similar contexts as your original question.

One more thing, your thinking too much analytical on grammatical forms of the language may be an effect of your English teacher. You know, they do unnecessary exams and want you to find the right choice and want you make a discrimination between whether to use simple past or perfect though sometimes both can be used. To be frank, I still suffer from this. I am still too analytic.

Re: had had

Yankee — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:27:54 GMT

Hi Mkyol

I'd like to point out a few things:

- The word 'since' does not work in your sentence as it is written. It seems that you want to use the word 'since' to talk about 'from a point in the past up to now', but that doesn't work well with the verb 'started'. The start of something is usually a very short point in time and does not take place over a period of time.

- The word 'since' is usually used with the present perfect continuous, and in that verb tense the verb is extremely connected to the present ('up to now'). To talk about the past time when something began, you need the simple past tense, but you can't use the simple past tense (started) together with the time word 'since' as you have done.

- Using 'had had' would suggest something that was finished/ended before you 'started' -- i.e. she was no longer interested at the time you started. But that wouldn't really make much sense in your sentence. You should use the simple present tense if your mother is still alive and still has this interest.

I would suggest rewriting your sentence in one of these ways:

If you want to talk about a time from the past up to the present, you could write it this way:
"My mother has an intense passion for education, and I have been learning English since junior high school."

If your mother is now dead, or if all of the verbs (events/activities/states) are in the finished past, you could write it this way:
"My mother had an intense passion for education, and I started to learn English in junior high school."

I can't think of any really logical way to use had had (past perfect) in your sentence.

make my dream come true

Quangtrungvtv — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:20:48 GMT

Today is Tuesday,September 12, 2007 . I was joint a interview in S-Fone corp . Itâs hard to pass because itâs very difficult . IQ part I did quite well but english part I did very bad .Tuesday next week , the result of interview will report, I am very worry because I am afraid i will be fall!

Oh! Ghost ! I wish I was( after âwishâ verb will be simple past tense) good at english, so I should pass every exam for interview ! Oh ! dear! I have to work hard to become a person good at english !

OK! I am doing to make my dream come true ! ( he he : my dream is expect in eclectronics and telecommunication engineering , but that is difficult because it have too much problem I have to pass ! Ok , I will learn english and good at english soon!

Do you believe me? Problem only depend on time. My english is improve by day ! you see, I love english very much , so I believe next month my english will be improve !

I wish I had much money for my my study . I want to study MCSE certificate because it need for my work and buy an laptop for me . Oh, I havenât money for this purpose . I have to find jobs and earn money , save , and buy and study things I wantâ¦.

I have met teacher avalable help me improve my english , but first I have to work hard .

Difference between present perfect tense and simple past tense

Chandrasek — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:41:57 GMT

Hi All,

I am beginner to learn English.

Can any body explain difference between present perfet tense and simple past tense?

Thanks

Chandra

Re: Best way to learn English?

Mister Micawber — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:01:31 GMT

Simple past: I went home. (It is finished and done with; the action is in the historical past.)

Present perfect: I have gone home at 8 pm every night this week; I haven't gone home yet. (There is potentiality for completing the action in the present or future; it is not finished and done with.)

Re: Best way to learn English?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 13:50:06 GMT

would y give me the difference

between simple past and present perfect