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 – where the Ministry of Defense has a number of high-security establishments – had until now only been considered "a low risk."
Thank you in advance
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 – where the Ministry of Defense has a number of high-security establishments – had until now only been considered "a low risk."
Thank you in advance
1 2
Comments
CB
The American Heart Association had until now listed obesity as a contributing factor to heart disease
Again, why not"....has until now listed..."?
Best wishes
I think the perfect aspect use of the original example by the original poster is in the similar vein as I think is this mixed conditional use. I think the past perfect part here indicates what is hypothetical in the past, but similar in the overall working/concept. As you said, a present perfect is (can be) used to denote what is no longer true, but the use of past perfect is what is often used.
I would be rolling in the cash stacks had I been more diligent in my studies when I was attending college. -- I think this indicates what you would be like in the present if a past hypothetical situation were made true.
1. I would give you some money had I had some money. -- I think this is very similar in concept to what you were saying about something no longer being true.
We could have written it like this:
2. I would give you some money if I had some money.
But the first version is more clear about his no longer having the money and that being the case for his inability to give any money.
If so,can I say as below?:
I have been friendly to him until now( to I mean I am still friendly to him now)
I had been friendly to him until now (to mean I was friendly to him in the past and I am no longer friendly to him now)
Could you possibly tell me whether these two sentences are correct and sound natural to native speakers? If not, please help me use the tenses correctly.
Thank you in advance
(I hope that's not too confusing!)