Present tense and "after" dilemma!

[Passionwagon]

Hi, I'm having trouble deciding whether this sentence is fine or nonsensical:

"She is cleaning after they visited."

I can't say "She is cleaning *since* they visited" because the word since is denotes a measure of time between a past point and a present point. I can't say "She has been cleaning since they visited" because, while correct, it is not what I am trying to say - for she has not been cleaning since they visited as that would suggest she started cleaning immediately when they stepped through the door. I don't want to say "She was cleaning after they visited" either, I need to write it in the present.

Is is fine to say "she is cleaning after they visited"?


Also a quick note:

Is is fine to say "I am interested to go" or "I am resolute to go"? (I know saying "I am interested in going" is fine, but something about the former seems wrong - why is that, when so many of us say and write "I am interested to see", which sounds fine. Can anybody pick out the reason it sounds rather inept?


Thank you in advance!

AC

[Tdol]

How about 'she will be cleaning after they have visited'?

[Passionwagon]

Hi thanks for your reply! The thing is, I'm writing a short story where somebody is observing things and he narrates it as he sees things, in the present tense, and so I have to write everything as though it hs just started happening.

"She is going to the woods and she sees a bear; she runs to a tree."

"Becca and Boyd kiss their mother and they leave the house. Katherine is closing the door and looks around the room. Katherine is cleaning the house after Becca and Boyd visited."

It's quite tricky isn't it? Also, after I looked at the progressive and simple tenses I still don't understand why the quiz says that "I am liking it" is incorrect and why "She was not understanding what she said" is incorrect. I think they sound odd, but they make sense to me; especially when "understanding" can still be happening after somebody has said something; your mental processes can still be happening after something has been said.

[Fazzu]

Originally Posted by Passionwagon

I don't want to say "She was cleaning after they visited" either, I need to write it in the present.
Is is fine to say "she is cleaning after they visited"?

Let me take a try: Maybe you want to write as,"She is cleaning when they visited".

I think it would be fine if you say "She is cleaning after they have visited" besides saying "She is cleaning after they visited".

[Fazzu]

"She was not understanding what she said" is incorrect.

Perhaps, it is said this way: "She did not understand what she said".

[Passionwagon]

thanks Fazzu, I think your example "She is cleaning after they have visited" is the one that sounds the best - I wonder why adding the "have" makes it sound better? I may even write "She is cleaning after they had visited".

[Fazzu]

I thought you were to write it in present tense.