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

Re: just/ago

Yankee — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:35:04 GMT

Hi Newguest

To me, the use of the word 'ago' pretty much rules out the use of the present perfect in your sentence

By the way, here is a sample sentence taken from the BNC (British National Corpus):

"I made you one just a second ago."

Although the word 'just' precedes 'a second ago' (rather than 'made') in that sentence, I think it illustrates the fact that the extreme recentness of a past activity does not necessarily guarantee the use of the present perfect -- not even in British English.

Present Perfect / Past Simple

Ant_222 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:25:23 GMT

Good Time of Day!

  Well, I just read the list of members online and found this:

  --
  In the past 3 days, the most popular thread for  everyone  has
  been "Sample of formal letter writing". The post with the most
  views is "Live chat room". The most  replies  _were_  made  to
  "GUESS MY WORD"
  --

  The first two sentences are in a present tense while the  last
  one uses Past Simple. What's the reason?

Thanks in advance,
Anton

Re: It has recruited all the excellent performers from all over the world.

Clive — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:58:34 GMT

Hi,

You can't miss the show tonight. It has recruited all the excellent performers from all over the world.

I wonder if I could use "enlist/collected/gathered/included" to replace "recruited" in the above sample and convey about the same idea.

I don't like any of these choices if you use the show as the subject. Shows don't recruit people, people recruit people. I suggest

You can't miss the show tonight. They have recruited ~~all the~~ excellent performers from all over the world. ('They' will be easily understood to refer to the organizers.)

I wonder if I could use "enlist/collected/gathered/included" to replace "recruited" in the above sample and convey about the same idea.

collected/gathered sound sort of OK

recruited/enlisted/included don't sound good

Or you could reword a bit. eg It includes . . . It features . . . ( ' It ' is OK when you avoid Present Perfect).

Best wishes, Clive

Re: What's the last movie you've seen?

Goodman — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:01:22 GMT

Hi Hao Thai,

Internet is a great place for information and to some degree, for validation or verification of the information we hold true. However, Iâve come to realize a good portion of the posted materials on internet are questionable, invalid and debatable to some degrees. We already beat that discussion to pulp and should carry it no further. I have no doubt with your ability to articulate. In fact, I find you with a manipulating command with words. But I am a bit perplexed about your position on the present perfect use with passed time.

<<<I think that are reputable enough - that use the "what was the ... you have...?">>>

On the BBC 2002 link, it said âwhat was the last film you saw?â on one of the sample sentences. I thought I point it out.

Before I zip, I should note, I agree with your âgrandmaâ context. Peace out!

Re: What's the last movie you've seen?

Goodman — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:57:55 GMT

Hi Hao Thai,

Your reply is well taken. Many of us have come frequently to post materials here and I trust most volunteers or visitors will not post incorrect information purposely. That said, inadvertently we make mental errors at times without recognizing it, and I speak for myself. Internet is a great place for information and to some degree, for validation or verification of the information we hold true. However, Iâve come to realize a good portion of the posted materials on internet are questionable, invalid and debatable to some degrees. We already beat that discussion to pulp and should carry it no further. I have no doubt with your ability to articulate. In fact, I find you with a manipulating command with words. But I am a bit perplexed about your position on the present perfect use with passed time.

<<<I think that are reputable enough - that use the "what was the ... you have...?">>>

On the BBC 2002 link, it said âwhat was the last film you saw?â on one of the sample sentences. I thought I point it out.

Before I zip, I should note, I agree with your âgrandmaâ context. Peace out!

Re: the word 'past perfect'

Spides — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:01:28 GMT

Both these terms refer to the time when verb action takes place. Your sample sentence could read "You should use a past perfect verb, not a present perfect verb." But often that noun would be understood and the adjectives modifying it are taken as a noun.

Re: The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of - Past Perfect

Aperisic — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:04:59 GMT

Yes your teacher says it right and to make it more clear I add: we use Past Perfect because we want to stress the point in time when the event ended, and there is no other better tool.

Maybe this way it sounds more "natural"

Even before we had finished our meal he ordered us back to work.

To be precise here you would need

Even before we had have finished our meal he ordered us back to work.

but I guess almost nobody would say it that way. So if you use pure math in this case Past Perfect is a replacement for the tense which I name "Past Present Perfect' :o)

Compare

Even before we would finish our meal he ordered us back to work.
Even before we would have finished our meal he ordered us back to work.
Even before we had have finished our meal he ordered us back to work.
Even before we had finished our meal he ordered us back to work.

However I agree with you that

Before we had finished our meal he ordered us back to work.

is not natural because the verb is already to finish so this is equally good and less troubled

Before we finished [eating] our meal he ordered us back to work.

If you want to know when we need Past Perfect use this sample of yours

He refused to go till we had seen all the pictures.

is the same as

He refused to go till we finished seeing all the pictures.

and backwards on an example of mine

Before I finished reading the book, he returned it to the library.

Before I had read the book, he returned it to the library.

Hope you got the picture.

(In your first example the verb finish is definitely confusing. We use "had been" exactly to stress a completion of the action, but to finish has that meaning on its own. It is in my opinion redundant. The second example is OK.)

Re: PRESENT PERFECT OR PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

Ruslana — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 17:19:43 GMT

I was not sure that "continue" could be used in the progressive form. But I have looked at BBC news website and they use the form "continuing" freely. I think I can trust BBC language, can't I?

But, after all, I suppose that the versions may both be used in that context. There is no absolutely wrong (right) answer. For examle, it is correct to use both the Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous in the sentence:

He has been living in that city for five years. = He has lived in that city for five years.

Perhaps, the same is in your sample, Pedromenba.

Edited on 05-02-2006, 7:46 PM

Re: Where is the direct object...

milky — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 08:38:22 GMT

CalifJim wrote:
There is no such thing as a transitive sentence.

Verbs are transitive or intransitive, not sentences.

"to train" is a transitive verb. As such, it can be used both in active and in passive sentences.

The sample sentence illustrates a transitive verb used in a passive sentence (i.e., a sentence in the passive voice).
In the active counterpart "Someone trained these agents to kill", agents is the direct object. But sentences in the passive voice do not have direct objects because the direct object from the active sentence has been used as the subject of the passive sentence.

CJ

I think the questioner was speaking casually when he/she used the term "transitive sentence". It's like a "present perfect sentence", a "conditional sentence", etc. We all know what is meant.

Could you tell me how you know that the sentence in question has a missing agent and not a missing object?

You: These agents are trained to kill (by...).

Other possiblities (objectless transitive): These agents are trained to kill (defectors, cockroaches, poachers, deer).

Re: Present perfect/ simple past

CalifJim — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 22:42:35 GMT

General Hopkins has died. [1] He never recovered [2] from that last operation.

We made [3] a reservation for a twin-bedded room. We hope the hotel has received [4] our letter.

[1] Present perfect shows current relevance to the flag at half-mast. At the present moment the general is dead. That explains the flag situation just now.
[2] His failure to recover happened entirely in the past, not within a time period which includes the present.
[3] (After reading the second part, you realize that "made" really means "wrote to the hotel to see if a reservation was available".) Writing to the hotel and sending the letter happened entirely in the past, not within a time period which includes the present.
[4] Our hope is a present hope that at this time, as we speak, the letter is now at its destination. The receiving of our letter is hoped to be at any time after we sent it all the way up to and including the present moment.

By contextualizing the sample sentences in other ways, you may be able to argue for other choices of tense, but I believe the test makers would prefer the answers I showed above.