18-Sep-2006, 01:45
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| Key Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
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 Re: A strange use of tense
Quote:
Originally Posted by shun 
A big storm yesterday, being expressed in Simple Past, had no current relevance, but a small storm in the past, expressed in Present Perfect, has current relevance. Is it your logic?
I can't say for every situation because this usage, Shun, like most language uses is user dependent. It may well be that a small storm has much much more current relevance to someone than a huge storm which kills hundreds.
You're confusing human emotions with how language works.
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Most important, as you can utter "current relevance", can you define "the present time" at all?
Sure, I can but the meaning of 'the present time' is not the same for all situations. At the present time, I'm typing a reply to you. At the present time, I'm sitting.
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