In Numbers^x, Present perfect^x, Past perfect^x

Hi teachers, My grammar book says the present perfect is used with "Until now", but why do they use the past perfect in the following sentence that I have picked up from a British newspaper The West Country – where the Ministry of Defense has a number of high-security establishments –...

Hi again, You stated the document number earlier. You had stated the document number earlier. I don't think there is any difference in meaning between those two. The only difference is that the first one is simple past tense, and the other is past perfect tense... There's a...

i. Our basketball team tried hard but was defeated in the long run. Nobody could say anything. "All that can be done has been done ," said the coach. can I change it to "had been done"? As I think it is a past event .-- No. It is not a past event. Be carefula bout can and has done. It is...

I was told that there are twelve tenses in English: 1: Simple Present Tense 2: Present Perfect Tense 3: Present Progressive Tense 4: Present Perfect Progressive Tense 5: Simple Past Tense 6: Past Perfect Tense 7: Past Progressive Tense 8: Past Perfect...

hello and welcome i have a script below to understand the exact meaning if i use simple past or present perfect "It was after midnight in a remote part of the western desert. A team of archaeologists were asleep in thier tents in a wide flat valley with high hills of sand on both sides. ...

Yoplain wrote: Thanks for the links. I've just skimmed through those pages. So now I guess : 1.My internet hasn't been working since this morning. - correct 2.My internet hasn't been working from this morning. - wrong 3.My internet doesn't work since this morning. - ? ...

I think I understand it now, thx for the explanation abbie . Just one more question about your first example - Lemon and Jack have learned some grammar: I would have used past tense, would that be wrong or would that just have another meaning? Because you said that they learned it in the past but...

I wasn't able to link to that site. I think everyone is too hepped up on the 'rule' that says we use the past perfect to mark the earlier of two past time events. This one example shows that it's not the only reason. As I mentioned in another thread, quoting Michael Swan, this is " common...

Hello Jack In number 3, you need an extra 'had'. It's easier to see if you switch the clauses round: 3a. 'If they 'd had it in stock, I could have made half a grand.' This gives the usual 'type 3 conditional' structure: past perfect in IF clause, with 'would/could/might have' + past...

You will find two instances of past perfect tense in the above. 1. A minister said the country had had no warning of Sunday's giant .. 2. "If the country had had such an alert system in place, we could have warned the coastal areas of the imminent danger .. Are they fine? I think the...