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I bought an English grammar book 3 weeks ago. Is it correct to use any of the following sentences interchangeably to tell my friend that I bought the book, or is there a difference in meaning between each sentence?

  1. I've just bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.
  2. I just bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.
  3. I bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.
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2 Answers 2

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1.I've just bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.

This sentence used a present perfect with "just" which indicates buying a book occurred very recently. It can even mean you bought a book a few minutes ago.

2.I just bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.

This sentence is very close to No.1 in that you used "just" for the past tense.

The purpose of Both No. 1 and No. 2 is (1) to indicate the timing of buyig the book and (2) the fact that he/she has it now.

3.I bought a book on English grammar, and it looks pretty good.

Reading this sentence, you cannot tell whether the book was bought recently or not. It happened in the past. No. 3 is different from No. 1 and No.2 in that sense.

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The first line is the correct way to say it if you have recently purchased the book.

The second line is not grammatically correct.

The third line "I bought a book...." also works but doesn't imply a recent purchase.

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  • 4
    The second sentence is fine. Sep 27, 2015 at 22:43
  • 3
    I am not gonna vote you down, but .... hmmphh. Sep 28, 2015 at 7:45

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