In Prepositions^x, Present perfect^x, Present tenses^x

Yes. I think I understand what you are getting at -- although for non-native speakers some of the guidelines may appear to be circular in nature. According to Palmer (The English Verb), besides the plain vanilla 'passive' with an agent introduced by by (The man was killed by his...

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 completely...