20-Sep-2004, 21:10
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| Junior Member Threadstarter
| | Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 82
Home Country: France Native Language: French Current Location: France Member Type: Retired English Teacher | |
 Re: there has been + emoticons
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Originally Posted by gisele Quote: |
Originally Posted by alexandre42 Quote: |
Originally Posted by X Mode Quote: |
Originally Posted by alexandre42 Hello
Is it correct to write
'This summer in Headingley there has been an alarming amount of graffiti - I am particularly annoyed about the paint which has been sprayed on the stone walls along Wood Lane'  | Yes, it's correct. Is there something about this sentence that would make you think it might not be correct? I'm surprised by the use of have . In this case I should say . There was an alarming amount of graffiti this summer . Graffiti were happened in summer .   :) | | I think what Alexandre is surprised about is the use of the present perfect instead of the simple past. The simple past would be okay if the summer being referred to had already finished, which might not be the case - "this summer" may well imply that the time period hasn't finished yet. On the other hand, if it were "last summer", it would be necessary to say, "There was an alarming amount of graffiti in Headingley last summer - I was particularly annoyed about the paint which was sprayed on the stone walls..." The present perfect is necessary if the action or situation started in the past and hasn't finished yet.
Regarding the original sentence, I just think it might sound better to put the adverbial references at the end of the sentence -
"There has been an alarming amount of graffiti in Headingley this summer - I'm particularly annoyed about the paint..."
Alexandre, speaking of annoyance, I've noticed the recurrence of the rolling eyes emoticon in your messages. I know very little, practically nothing, about emoticons, but I think the rolling eyes one, albeit so cute, is used to transmit a feeling of anger or impatience. Have you been using this emoticon because you're upset about something, or because you think the upward turning eyes convey doubt, which was what I used to think they meant? Well, maybe the rolling eyes emoticon is also used to express doubt, I don't know. (By the way, if the rolling eyes smiley is for anger, shouldn't there be one for confusion / doubt / being puzzled?)
Gisele | It's good to see this all ink about the past perfect the present perfect . I think you're right when you said that the present perfect is used for an action which is not finished at the present moment . Don't take the rolling eyes for anger, please . It's just a 'clin d'oeil' for doubt .
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