as it is the case with

[nyggus]

I know I am picking at details, but in the following sentence:

"Several poor African countries have had their debts to foreign creditors cancelled, as is the case with Mali, Niger, and Chad",

shouldn't it be "as it has been the case with..."? I suppose it shouldn't, as it often is the case with the Present Perfect, which may be a student's nightmare. Could you explain that to me?

Thanks,
Nyggus

[Casiopea]

Several poor African countries have [recently] had their debts to foreign creditors cancelled, as is the [present] case with Mali, Niger, and Chad, ...

Does that help?

[nyggus]

Several poor African countries have [recently] had their debts to foreign creditors cancelled, as is the [present] case with Mali, Niger, and Chad, ...

Does that help?

Oh... So these three countries listed are not those that "had their debts to foreign creditors cancelled"? Do I understand it well?

[Casiopea]

Yes. That's my understanding of it as well. The specific countries mentioned serve as additional examples of the fact.

______________
Note, [recently] isn't required. I added it in for my sake, to make sense of the timing.

[nyggus]

Yes. That's my understanding of it as well. The specific countries mentioned serve as additional examples of the fact.

______________
Note, [recently] isn't required. I added it in for my sake, to make sense of the timing.

Thanks, Casi. Now that you've explained I see the point; before I didn't. I think this sentence is tricky in the sense that guys like me may misunderstood it (as before your explanation I thought the countries listed "have had their debts to foreign creditors cancelled").

[Casiopea]

I agree with you, though. It's potentially ambiguous. The timing is odd, but not ungrammatical. The author's intended meaning just isn't all that crytsal clear, especially given that the sentence is out of context and all.

[nyggus]

I agree with you, though. It's potentially ambiguous. The timing is odd, but not ungrammatical. The author's intended meaning just isn't all that crytsal clear, especially given that the sentence is out of context and all.

The problem is the sentence was given out of context also in the book I took it from as it was just an example of the usage of "as is the case with".

[Casiopea]

Well, there you go. Yet another great example of traditional thought. That language is independent of its context.

You ask good questions, nyggus. Don't ever second guess yourself. If you feel something is off, then follow that feeling. Always.

[nyggus]

Well, there you go. Yet another great example of traditional thought. That language is independent of its context.

You ask good questions, nyggus. Don't ever second guess yourself. If you feel something is off, then follow that feeling. Always.

Thank you...

The problem is I, still and forever a non-native English speaker, may feel a lot of things. Had I followed these feelings, I might have created a new English language! But generally I'm trying to do it (I mean, to follow these feelings, not to create the new language ) and this is why you've answered so many questions of mine.

Thanks!
Nyggus

[Casiopea]

You're most welcome, and creating a new language wouldn't be all that bad.