All Questions
Tagged with perfect-aspect past-tense
80 questions
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Should it be Past Perfect or Present Perfect? [closed]
Past Perfect can't be used on its own, can it?
I mean, if there is a sentence without context, just a sentence on its own, and there is no clause with predicate in Past Simple in it. Is it ...
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1
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0
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38
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Which tense to choose [closed]
There are a couple of sentences:
The water froze and caused the pipe to burst.
If it is a succession of past events it should be Past Simple.
But if the first part happened earlier, it should be :
...
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2
votes
3
answers
224
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Past and present perfect tense in scientific articles
There are various questions about this, but none that I found provided me with a satisfying answer. My problem lies mainly in the part of the paper were I introduce the necessary background, and in ...
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5
votes
1
answer
324
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Can past perfect continuous tense be substituted for past continuous without any change in meaning? [duplicate]
If you search for any video or article that teaches the past perfect continuous tense, you'll surely come across an example such as:
"He had been throwing rocks at her window for five minutes ...
- 235
1
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0
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47
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Past perfect continuous
I'm confused about the past perfect continuous sentence. One YouTuber who is an English teacher is explaining that there is a slight difference between the following two sentences, which makes me ...
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0
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1
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259
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How many past perfect tense instances can be used in one sentence?
There's a sentence in which I have to express that one activity took place more recently than the other three. It's a classic case when past perfect should be used, but how does it look in terms of ...
- 65
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2
answers
39
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I would like to know which option is the right one: Why did... or Why has...? [closed]
Why did the dog make so much noise this night?
Why has the dog made so much noise this night?
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0
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1
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89
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the entire film/book
If I say:
"I read the book." or "I watched the film."
Does it mean that I read the entire book or that I watched the entire film?
If it does, how should I say to emphasise that I ...
0
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0
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220
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Past Continuous in reported speech
Let's imagine someone has told me:
Last month while we were traveling in Cyprus, my mother was packing her bags for her first ever foreign trip.
I was wondering whether I could paraphrase it, and ...
0
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1
answer
71
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Sentence in which Past Perfect is not thought of as preceding the action [closed]
I can’t just wrap my head around it...
In which sentence the action denoted by the Past Perfect is not thought of as preceding the action denoted by the Past Indefinite tense:
a) He knew where hilda ...
0
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0
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29
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“COVID-19 changed / has changed / has been changing the everyday life of people” [duplicate]
This is for the translation of a bachelor thesis and we have different opinions on the use of the word "change".
Which is correct?
COVID-19 changed / has changed / has been changing the ...
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-1
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1
answer
227
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Past Perfect strange usages ;)
1. I've read that "We can use the past perfect followed by before to show that an action was not done or was incomplete when the past simple action happened".
Example: They left before I'd ...
- 19
2
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2
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382
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"It had started to snow by 10 a.m. yesterday." vs "It started to snow by 10 a.m. yesterday." [closed]
I don't understand the timing in the following sentence:
It had started to snow by 10 a.m. yesterday.
I don't understand when it started to snow. And did it finish or is it still snowing?
Is this ...
- 25
1
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0
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136
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Past perfect continuous and use of since
I came across the following sentence with an instruction to rewrite it in past perfect continuous using the given time expression in brackets:
Govind was working in this factory as a watchman. (since ...
2
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1
answer
6k
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"had spent" vs. "spent"
Which tense would be appropriate in this case - past perfect simple or past simple?
"After he had spent some of the money, he decided to find his dream house."
or
"After he spent some ...
- 29
0
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0
answers
107
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Present Perfect and Past Simple together
I just wonder if i have a possibility to mix these tenses in this way. For example, i say about things happened in the past. Can i use present perfect to show result of this sentences in present? I ...
0
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0
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43
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is using past perfect continuous correct in this case?
Is this sentence correct and can I say the same thing using another tense?
When I saw her account I realised that she had not been using her account for years.
- 11
1
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3
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Can you help with the difference in these past perfect tenses?
Example 1: 'Edison invented the light bulb. He had been working on it for years'.
Example 2: 'Edison invented the light bulb. It had taken him years'.
In example 1, the past perfect continuous makes ...
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0
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1
answer
46
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Can You help me with my english? [closed]
Is It correct to say: "I had been his wife before he got married with her."?
2
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4
answers
193
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Which tense should be used for actions that terminate exactly at the present moment?
Which tense should I use for actions which terminate exactly at the present time and the final point of the action is also the present moment? Can present perfect be used for this type of situation?
...
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0
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1
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66
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Grammar present perfect past perfect
This is kind of confusing for me. Would be happy to get the answer and find out the right way of using these constructions:)
Is this correct and if not how I can use present and past perfect in one ...
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2
answers
112
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The perspective of people in the future looking back at now
My student came to me with this sentence that we disagree on.
"People in the future will wonder why we have many traffic accidents today."
I think 'have' should be 'had'.
i.e. "People in the future ...
0
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1
answer
746
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What's the difference between "you wasted" and "you've wasted" [duplicate]
I've got a question about this topic. So, about the context. I've just watched a video and in the end, the author said thank you as follows:
Thank you for all the time you wasted on this video.
I ...
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0
votes
1
answer
294
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Superlative, present perfect vs past perfect
In the following context, can I have present perfect, or do I need to use past perfect?
It was the worst food I've ever eaten / I had ever eaten.
Thank you :)
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1
answer
52
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Past perfect usage in the sentence
'When he told me it was finished it felt like all hope from my life had gone – it was overwhelming,' she says.
Please help me understand this usage of PP.
If we look at the timeline of this sentence ...
0
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0
answers
2k
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"I got used to" or "I have got used to" [duplicate]
Here is the sentence
- Living in a foreign country isn’t strange to me now. I got used/ I have got used to living in a foreign country
Which one is correct and what the difference between them?
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1
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1
answer
49
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Past perfect vs Present perfect [duplicate]
Both sentences are in the past, what is the difference?
Mr X had driven them home.
Mr X has driven them home.
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0
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1
answer
141
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What tense do I use for different actions in the past for dead people?
I want to refer to 2 kids and draw some parallelisms. John is alive now. Mark is dead.
John lives in New York. "Mark LIVED in New York" or "Mark USED TO LIVE in New York".
John likes to play soccer....
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0
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0
answers
26
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Which tense is appropriate? Simple or Perfect? [duplicate]
Consider the following two sentences:
Many buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.
Many buildings had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.
Which is appropriate, and why? I think ...
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2
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3
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589
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Is it ok to say "something I will have come to learn later in the course"?
I have written
It lacks exact references to the book, something about argumentative analysis I will have come to learn later in the course.
I wonder if this is correct and what this tense would ...
0
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1
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3k
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previously was/had been
So I asked a question that I knew I had asked a long time ago and actually made me think...
"Am I the only one whose program went back to how it previously was or not?"
The aforementioned quotation ...
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2
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13k
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What does definite and indefinite mean in past tense and present perfect respectively
I am reading the grammar book - A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language - these days. I am confused about the meanings of definite and indefinite in Past Tense and Present Perfect.
I know ...
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1
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819
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Should there be the Past Perfect? “He advised me to do as he said but I didn't pay any…” [closed]
Where is the error in the following line?
He advised me to do as he said but I didn't pay any attention to his advice.
I am confused what is the error here or even error been there or not?
As far ...
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1
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0
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57
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Which is commoner here: Past Simple or Past Perfect?
For a native speaker of English, which construction is commoner ?
1- The interviewer asked me which university l went to.
2- The interviewer asked me which university l had been to.
Thanks.
- 1,442
2
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2
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784
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"I could have lunch before you arrived."
I'm having a discussion on Duolingo about this sentence in French that translates into:
I was able to have lunch before you arrived.
An alternate translation (also accepted by Duolingo) goes like ...
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0
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1
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3k
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What is this sentense structure 'If you had ....., I would have been .........' [duplicate]
I came across this sentence on stack exchange and it confused me.
'If you had called me 10 minutes ago, I would have been sleeping.' on
What is the structure of the above sentence called?
Why '...
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1
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1
answer
3k
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Tense usage in idioms
I have read these idioms:
" Beat someone to the punch/Beat someone to the draw".
I know their meaning, but I am confused about the grammatical usage.
Here are two examples from ...
1
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5
answers
2k
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Why is “had” ok in “What he had just said, especially that final sentence, really enlightened me”?
I’m writing a short prose piece for an academic audience and need to know whether the following sentence sounds right, especially its first clause:
What he had just said, especially that final ...
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votes
2
answers
2k
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Is "He should have gone running away" grammatical? [closed]
Is the use of the construction should have gone running away correct?
Would not a better answer be “should have run away”? A teacher at my school had this question on her students exam and is curious ...
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1
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2
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2k
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could past perfect tense and present perfect tense coexist in a compound sentence. Please do not mark as duplicate if you have not read the question [duplicate]
Mike ( had broken | broke ) his mother's vase last night but he has not told her yet.
Question: Some argue it must use "broke" instead of "had broken" because "last night" could not be used with past ...
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0
votes
1
answer
571
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Present Perfect usage in a sentence; continue with the same tense or move to Past Simple?
I've been rewriting a known quote:
Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
I used the Present Perfect and turned the quote into:
Curiosity has killed the cat, but ...
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1
vote
1
answer
862
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Past Perfect Progressive
I came across a website that says using a past perfect continuous is a good way to show cause and effect. The writer then shows an example.
He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
But ...
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1
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1
answer
19k
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Had been working or had worked [duplicate]
I'm trying to figure out what to choose between Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous in the following sentence:
Mr Georgiou had been working/had worked for the company for twenty years ...
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0
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1
answer
1k
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past simple vs present perfect in following examples [duplicate]
I am trying to understand differences in using past simple and present perfect.
Let consider following examples.
I have put onion in the soup.
I am cooking the soup now, onion is floating in water,...
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0
votes
1
answer
127
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Do I need Past perfect tense when the order of verbs is from first to last?
I am learning about the past perfect tense and I'm beginning to think that the tense is never really required for the sentence to be grammatical. It is mainly a tense to help clarify the order of the ...
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2
votes
1
answer
142
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Why are there many internet grammar lesson examples using past perfect with "before" but not with "after"? [closed]
I know that I have to use past perfect when using before.
I had eaten before I swam.
But why don't I need to use past perfect with after?
I swam after I ate.
Thank you guys for the help.
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0
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1
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125
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Perfect Continuous
I know we use Past Perfect Continuous when an event in the past continue up until another event in the past:
I had been talking with her for over an hour before Tony arrived.
Can we use it when an ...
0
votes
2
answers
183
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Two past perfect verbs from an Arthur Conan Doyle story
I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.
Why are there two past perfect verbs in this entene? Is it the same as saying:
I had come to these conclusions before ever I ...
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2
votes
1
answer
29k
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Has/have been vs was/were
I understand we should use has/have been for something which started in past and still continuing in present. But is it right to use for something which started in past but has just completed or ...
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1
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781
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Nested Flashback - Past perfect tense w/in present tense or Past tense w/in past tense or Past perfect tense w/in past tense
So, someone from ELL suggested that I ask my question on this forum. I do not want to know if nested flashbacks are okay. I am simply asking about tense. Thanks for the help! Question is below:
...
