[QUOTE=david11;833298]
You gave me more change than you are suppose to.
NOT A TEACHER
Excuse me, sir/ ma'am, but you gave me too much change.
Hello teachers,
I traveled in a bus. I gave 10$( our currency is rupee, just for your convenience) to get 6$ ticket.He returned 5$.Can I say the below sentence?
You gave me more change than you are supposed to.
I just don't want to mention the numbers.
Thank you.
Last edited by david11; 16-Dec-2011 at 12:02. Reason: typo
[QUOTE=david11;833298]
You gave me more change than you are suppose to.
NOT A TEACHER
Excuse me, sir/ ma'am, but you gave me too much change.
I would say that in BrE/AusE, it would be more common to say, "... you've given me too much change."
The action [has] only just occurred, and something must be done in the present (or future) to amend it.
If I waited until I was getting off the bus, or even the next day (if I had a restless night of guilt for having accepted 5 cents too much), I'd say, "... you gave me too much change yesterday."
Last edited by Raymott; 16-Dec-2011 at 13:28.
[QUOTE=Raymott;833328]I would say that in BrE/AusE, it would be more common to say, "... you've given me too much change."
Yes, absolutely. In perfect American English, too. Thank you for the correction.
This is one of those times that Americans do use the simple past over the present perfect, I think. While the present perfect is alive and well, I'm pretty sure I'd say "you gave me" in this case. I'm not sure why, since it certainly merits the present perfect, having just happened and related to the current situation.
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
Thank you for your replies.
May I take that my sentence is not incorrect but not natural?
And I think it's lovely that we are debating the grammar instead of saying "Cool! Extra money!" and shoving it our pocket and thanking our good fortune. It's nice to see ethics trumping greed.
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.