Search results for 'tag:Present perfect tag:Grammar' matching tags 'Present perfect' and 'Grammar'

Re: until now+ present perfect

Kooyeen — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:51:44 GMT

Tuongvan
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

I would take that "now" to mean "just now", which would then be a point in the past.

until now+ present perfect

Tuongvan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:30:06 GMT

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 â where the Ministry of Defense has a number of high-security establishments â had until now only been considered "a low risk."

Thank you in advance

Re: past simple Vs present perfect?

Clive — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:10:41 GMT

Hi,

Let's look at 'remember' as an example.
Simple Past - Last Wednesday, I couldn't find my car keys. But the next day, I remembered where I put them.

Present Perfect - I have remembered where I put my car keys. Now we can go for a drive!

In my earlier post, I just tried to give you the general idea of these two tenses. There is much more detail about the various meanings and ways to use the Present Perfect. I suggest that you look at these in your grammar book. You can also find lots of interesting discussions if you search this forum for 'Present Perfect'.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Parallel structure

Gori — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:25:54 GMT

Thank you for your comments and advice, both RayH and Clive

As Clive says, what you say makes sense to me. Probably a) and d) may be ambiguous and readers may refer to them as "present tense," not "present perfect tense." Thank you for pointing it out!

However, as RayH says all of the examples a) through d) are still grammatically acceptable?? According to my grammar book, it says that "parallel structure makes repeating the same words unncecessary." In my examples, what are the same words unnecessary? I thought first that I could remove all the repeated words--"the," "perfect," and "tense" (but "tense" must be "tenses" if I drop one "the" in a sentence)--and make the sentence concise, as in the example a) Use the present and past perfect tenses. However, now I have started to think that "perfect" had better not drop after the word "present" since it may not be an unnecessary word omitted (in order to prevent readers from misunderstanding that it is "present tense," not "present perfect"). Is my understanding correct??

Re: Parallel structure

RayH — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:49:35 GMT

a) Use the present and past perfect tenses. (This is probablly the best, isn't it?)
b) Use the present perfect and the past perfect tense. (Is it grammatially okay?)
c) Use the present perfect and past perfect tenses. (How about this??)
d) Use the present and the past perfect tense. (Is it also grammatically okay?)

I don't have a problem with any of these. Although I don't claim to be a grammar expert, my guess would be that strict grammarians would say that only a) and c) are correct.

Re: would and have

Clive — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:44:57 GMT

Hi,
When I use "have" do I put "ed" on "kill?" Yes, use 'ed' with a regular verb. What you are talking about is how to form the Present Perfect tense.
When I look at your sentences below, I can see that you need to review the Present Perfect (and the Past Perfect) in your grammar book.

I would have killed the spider myself.

If you ~~didn't kill~~ hadn't killed the spider, I would have killed it myself.

They are not allowed to build this house after 6 p.m.

They almost finished / have almost finished building the house.

Best wishes, Clive

Help with verbs (past, present modes???)

bruno_ts — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:07:37 GMT

Hi folks!

I have a terrible problem to understand how to use the following verbs in English:

Past Perfect, Present Perfect, Past Continous, Present Perfect Continous...

The problem is the grammar rule for talk about

- an action that is running and another action stop it;
- an action before another action;
- an action that came from the past to the present (and still happening);
- what's the rule from past that the most important thing is the action, and another rule that the most important thing is the time;
* an action that depends from another action (I don't know if there's a rule about it)*.

I can't express my question very well, if somebody don't understand pleas tell me and I'll try to explain better
In my last vacation I tried to understood it many times, but I can't learn very well in my course. I need desperately a help ><"

Thanks all since now o/

Simple past or past simple

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:55:32 GMT

Hi everybody,

Why do all the Grammar books use the expressions "simple present" and "simple past", although all the other tenses start with the tense-marker and add the aspect-marker then: present progressive, present perfect, present perfect progressive, past progressive, past perfect, past perfect progressive.
Couldn't it be more logical to then say "present simple" and "past simple"?

Yours, D.S. Elfers

Simple past or past simple?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:47:13 GMT

Hi everybody,

I'm a teacher of English at a German Grammar School and after 12 years of experience I'm still wondering about the following puzzle:
Why do all the Grammar books stick to the "confusing" expressions simple past and simple present, although it seems quite more logical to say past simple and present simple? I really prefer these expressions in my classes, because all the other tenses just start with the "tense marker" and go on with the "aspect marker": present progressive, present perfect, past progressive, past perfect.
Can I go on using my preferable expressions?

Yours, D.S. Elfers

Re: past perfect grammar questions

CalifJim — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:15:39 GMT

heloOO
Should the underlined be 'imploded' ?

Not really. It goes well with had already dropped.

____

Your other two questions are concerned with a definite time mentioned in the same sentence with a past perfect tense. This is completely fine.

It is, in fact, the present perfect tense to which the objection applies. Don't use a definite time with the present perfect!