Quote:
Originally Posted by joham  --Does Trevor still work there?
--No, he left.
This dialogue comes from CAMBRIDGE LEARNER'S DICTIONARY (leave). I'd like to know why the answer isn't 'No, he's left', as we are always told by grammar books.
Thank you in advance. |
I'd like to see the stuff from the grammar books, Joham.
We can use either, even when the event has just happened. The present perfect is used for HOT NEWS and for past events that have a importance to now, often called, "current relevance". It can also be used to be more formal/polite.
But, and this is vitally important. It all depends on speaker choice. In the situation that you've presented, the speaker isn't all that concerned about Trevor and his leaving, it's just a simple finished event.