Search results for 'tag:Simple past tag:Present simple' matching tags 'Simple past' and 'Present simple'

Re: Is " was purchased " past perfect tense?

Tanit — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:32:45 GMT

Hi,

loveCZ
Until the new software was purchased, the staff had struggled to keep the accounts records up to date.

In the above example, "was purchased" this possible ~~past perfect tense~~ is followed by "had struggled" this past perfect tense. My teacher taught me that we use past perfect tense to state something which happened firstly and past tense to something that happened after. So I thought the last example should have used "is purchased" this ~~past tense~~ instead of "was purchased" this ~~past perfect,~~ am I right?

First thing first, let's give the verb forms their correct names.

        was purchased >> past simple, passive
        had struggled >> past perfect
        is purchased >> present simple, passive

The time sequence in your example sentence is something like this:
1. in the past, the staff had struggled to keep the accounts record up to date
2. so (in a less remote past) the firm (or company, or whatever) purchased a new software
3. as a result, the staff does not struggle any more.

So, the tenses are fine: the struggling (which is in past perfect: 'had struggled') happened before the purchasing (which is in simple past: 'was purchased') of the software. This agrees with your teacher's explanation, right?

Re: Simple past or past simple

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:32:17 GMT

Google:

71,300 English pages for "the present simple".
42,700 English pages for "the simple present".

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: difference/ for

Newguest — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:30:21 GMT

Cool Breeze
Newguest

What is the difference in meaning when I say: Do you learn any other languages except English AND Are you learning any other languages except English. Also: can I say "except for English"?

The continuous tense seems better to me (Are you learning/studying...?) You could use the simple tense, simple past this time, in a sentence like "Did you learn any other language in your childhood?" This would imply that you learned the language naturally like a child does in the environment you lived in. It would be possible to express a lot more nuances if there were more inflections in English!

Except for is fine: Did you study any other language except [for] / besides / but / save / than English?

CB

Ok, so I understand that the present simple doesn't sound good.

As for the "for" I assume that "are you learning any other languages except for English" would also be fine?

Thank you

Re: have got, have, got: Is there any difference?

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:27:38 GMT

Hello
I am English teacher in Brazil ,the difference is in the grammar..as follows :
Have got = present perfect- which is have+ past participle , this relates something that started in the past with the present
have = present simple it indicated present meaning only and normally shows possesssion
got is the past of get so it is simple past
if you need more information please contact me on <email address removed by a mod. Please register and add it to your profile.>
Ala rebhi salim - Brazil

Can we mix the present perfect and the simple past?

YSchneider — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:39:10 GMT

Iâd like to know if we can mix the present perfect and the simple past and if itâs natural.

I noticed that the present simple itâs often used for sentences with already.

I already finished it! But not for it negative opposite I havenât finished it yet!

I think for questions both are common Did you finish it yet? Or Have you finished it yet?

So when I answer to Did you finished it yet? Can I say No I havenât finished it yet!

And the other way around can I answer I already finished to the question Have you finished it

yet?

Did I tell you that Iâll get promoted? â No, you havenât told me yet â Is this possible?

Did you eat yet? â No, I havenât eaten yet â possible?

(by the way Iâm just talking about US usage)

Re: the correct tense

Newguest — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:09:13 GMT

Kooyeen
Hi,
I think that without context, there are a lot of verbs that could be possible. I mean, I think it depends whether you are giving an example, discussing a real fact in the past, a hypothetical situation, etc.

In my examples I'm trying to say that even if some people paid the contributions for a shorter period of time (in the past), then today it will not result in decreased pension benefits, so I think that the present simple in this case is OK, even though the earlier verbs were in the simple past. The same in the second sentence.

active\passive

Newguest — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:57:59 GMT

Active sentence: Somebody stole my bicycle.

Passive sentence: My bicycle has been stolen.

Is the passive sentence OK, in your opinion? I would write: My bicycle was (simple past) stolen.

As far as I know if the active sentence is written in simple past than the passive one should also be written in simple past?

One more question. I never know whether I should write it with the definite article or not: present simple, simple present, present simple tense etc. Should I put the "the" before each of them or always omit it?

thanks

Re: questions

Goodman — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:34:27 GMT

Newguest wrote:
Goodman wrote:
Newguest wrote:

Hi

I have a few questions.

1. We were having a chat while we were waiting. IT IS BETTER TO WRITE "We had a chat while we were waiting" Are both sentences OK, or not?

2. Is it possible to say: The instructions to this exercise are saying that you have to... or The instructions to this exercise specifies that you have to... I THINK THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS CORRECT.

3. You better find out what do you have to do or You better find out what you have to do. IN MY OPINION THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS CORRECT.

4. What does this sentence mean: They stack the odds 'til we take to the street .... make the odds to your favor / take advantage of the situation

Thank You

Hi

As for the first one; why is it bad to say "we were having a chat"?

As for the second question, I was just interested if it's better to use present continuous or present simple tense in such cases. So, according to you I shouldn't write "The instructions say ...," but rather "specify"?

I didn't say it's bad or wrong. Many times we will encounter this type of questions. In my opinion, âwe were having a chat while waitingâ = you were waiting for something, and then you met someone while standing in line, and you started a conversation with him/ her. So the conversation is something that happened while you were standing in line. Logically, I prefer to use simple past to describe the âchatâ and past progressive for âwaitingâ which was a longer event.

Thatâs my take.