In Present perfect^x, Past tenses^x, Conversations^x

Hi Ant222, My English skill is not in the “grammarian” class but I will give it my best attempt to explain it. It may not may not be agreeable with the experts. In many instances during casual conversations, we can bet by with simple past tense and no one will flag you for errors. However, to...

Yankee wrote:Hi TamI certainly did not intend my comment as a comparison of formal written UK English and informal US spoken English. I have to say I find it insulting that you think I would even consider making such a comparison. My comment was based on my own experience with British...

Hi, Yes, you're right in thinking that these phrases wouldn't usually sound natural to a native speaker. On the other hand, if two Asian people are having a conversation in English like this, and they understand each other, that's not a bad thing, is it? Ok I'll try to illustrate base on this...

Hi, Glad you asked this question. How English speaking people use English does not represent the correctness of their English. That said, I would say what you hear depends a lot on the class of people you converse with and this has nothing to do with economics. By that, I mean rich people don’t...

Sir Further examples of the use of the present perfect and simple past A. Tom(visting Philip for the first time) : I didn't know you lived in houseboat. Philip: I've always lived in a houseboat. I was born in one. I thought you were still on holiday, When did you get back? I came back last...

And a good day to you, Mr P. I see your point. But they are different situations. It's not logical to suggest that one grammar pattern can extend to all situations; there are obvious semantic considerations. Allow me to explain and then please point out where you feel I’ve erred. As I’ve often...