Tagged Questions

0
votes
2answers
45 views

Is reported speech reasonable in this example? [closed]

What is the right word to the gap (21)? (had/have) That is about 400 years earlier than when the Inca Indians were thought to (21) __ discovered the silver in the ground. I think it's had as ...
1
vote
1answer
200 views

Present perfect or past simple? [duplicate]

I know the basic rules about using PP and PS (like specified time in the past etc.) but in some cases, it is not clear to me: I have finished painting. - present perfect, I just announce that. I ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views

I was sat thinking why you were stood there before I was took away by the word police [duplicate]

I know my sentence is dreadful but everyone now uses these words in this way, including my eight children aged 19—26. Yes, they are from Manchester but my husband uses he was took and he’s from ...
0
votes
1answer
98 views

Reported Speech Tense Choice [closed]

Which of the followings sentences would be the best choice? The victim explained how he became addicted five years ago... His addiction is so bad that he is unable to keep a steady ...
3
votes
2answers
123 views

Tenses and completeness of actions

When one uses simple past tense for some action, does it imply that the action is complete? For instance, when you say “I wrote my article yesterday,” does this imply that at this moment you have a ...
3
votes
3answers
236 views

Correct tense for events which happend long time ago but still have direct connection with present time

Suppose that a man disappeared twenty years ago and I haven't had a notice about him since then. What should I say to my interlocutor if I want to tell him about this story? You know, Harry has ...
1
vote
1answer
431 views

Did you ever hear(see, do, anything else) vs. Have you ever(seen, done, and so on) heard? [closed]

What's correct? If both, what is the difference between these questions? An example from The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: MacDonald turned over the letter which Holmes had handed ...
-4
votes
1answer
2k views

“Since I last saw you” or “since I last have seen you”? [closed]

Which of the following two sentences is correct? It's been long time since I last saw you. It's been long time since I have seen you.
-2
votes
1answer
210 views

Past or present perfect tense for event happened last night [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another? Since watching TV is a completed action which happened last night, which one is correct? Last ...
4
votes
2answers
387 views

Past simple or present perfect? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Present perfect for past action with present effect Is this sentence correct? What exactly does it mean? Person 1: Where did you hide my keys? Person 2: I put ...
3
votes
5answers
636 views

I have a question regarding present perfect and simple past

I have this example: Have you ever lost something valuable? The answer is : No, I haven't, but my brother ___ his camera on a trip once. My question is this. With what should I fill the ...
-1
votes
1answer
556 views

“Did it close” vs “Has it closed”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another? What's the difference between the following? Did the shop close? Has the shop closed? I suspect ...
1
vote
1answer
747 views

Use of “had said” in the “The Archers”

In the BBC radio drama The Archers, the following conversation takes place: A:             David, you are not going to say what you saw. You love your family, right? David:   What? A:    ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views

Calling “Past Perfect” the “Past” of “Present Perfect” [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another? Can we consider the past perfect to be the past form of present perfect? He has been a teacher for ...
0
votes
0answers
126 views

Is it correct to use Simple Past in place of Present Perfect? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: When Will “Present Perfect vs Past Tense” Cases Be Affected By Culture? When do I use present perfect tense instead of the simple past? On a movie this boy ...
0
votes
3answers
427 views

Present perfect and simple past

Here's a conversation: Speaker1: I have already seen this film. Speaker2: When have you seen it? [OR] When did you see it? Speaker1: Last month. Are both of the responses from Speaker2 ...
5
votes
1answer
497 views

Past simple with today

For example, I want to say that I found a ball today. But "today" means action in present, am I right? I've already searched the Internet and it seems the right way is this: I found a ball today ...
2
votes
1answer
293 views

“You have hidden a request sent by …” versus “You hid a request sent by …”

I have come across a couple confusing sentences when hiding (ignoring) requests on Facebook. The first response message was: You hid a FarmVille request sent by John Doe and the second was ...
0
votes
1answer
267 views

Is that a correct usage of present perfect?

What do you think about this sentence? Do you have bought the lesson book? Is that a correct usage of "Do you have bought"? Or should I say "Did you buy"?
1
vote
2answers
218 views

Use of the word “have”

In a menu title/button, does "have" need to be used? Is "1" okay or should "2" be used? 1) People who contacted you in the last 24 hours 2) People who have contacted you in the last 24 hours This ...
4
votes
2answers
12k views

“Has been” vs. “was”

Should one use has been or was in the following sentence, and why? For many years the USA has been a British colony. For many years the USA was a British colony.
9
votes
3answers
4k views

“I didn't finish” versus “I haven't finished”

If I worked on something yesterday but it was not finished, should I use "I didn't finish it yet" or "I haven't finished it yet"?
1
vote
3answers
1k views

When do I use present perfect tense instead of the simple past?

I've finished my work. I finished my work. When do I use one or the other?
11
votes
3answers
2k views

When will “Present Perfect vs. Past Tense” cases be affected by culture?

Regarding actions taken in the past, besides the differences those two tenses have semantically, my teacher shared that it could be a British vs American English case. When talking about past ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views

When is the present perfect tense used instead of the past tense?

When is the present perfect tense used instead of the past tense? I know that the present perfect tense is used when some adverbs (e.g., never, ever) are present in the sentence.