[Grammar] the present perfect

[e2e4]

Originally Posted by GUEST2008

And I'm curious if it's really necessary to use the past perfect tense in the last example, i.e., I had been enjoying.......

If the books, which were written by J.J., were of great interest to me and if I read all of them in the deep past (except the newest one which I haven't read as yet) then I started to enjoying them in the deep past as well. Because of that I used the past perfect but continuous aspect of it and not the past perfect only for I was continuing with enjoying the books for a while after I had read them as well.
My enjoying wasn't finished with the last page of the each book.
Also the past perfect continuous allows repeating in the deep past as well.

Which one did you think about?
I was enjoying them very much. maybe?

Anyway thank you for the question which is of great interest to me as well.

[GUEST2008]

Originally Posted by e2e4

Finally I can't see that any other tense aspect do the same thing.
Which one did you think about?

If you used the simple past from the very beginning I would say: I enjoyed them very much.

I went to a shop and bought a book there.
It was written by J.J.
I read all of the books he wrote.
These books were of great interest to me.
I enjoyed them very much.

[e2e4]

Let us both wait to seeing what the teachers say about.

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by GUEST2008

HI

What if I said:

A: Where've you been all afternoon, B?

B: I've been to a shop and I've bought a book. It has been written by J.J.

Would it really be incorrect?

None of it is "incorrect", Guest, but some of it is unnatural English.

"I've been to a shop and I've bought a book" is a possibility but it isn't a great possibility for NaE. Unless there was something quite momentous about the situation.

B: I've been to a shop and I've bought A book.

A: Get outta here! You didn't reeeeeally buy it, did you? Where'd you get the moolah?

B: My Mom gave me 100 bucks for my birthday.

Here, in this scenario that I've created, A & B know of some special book and B describes where B was [a shop] and what B did [buy the book] using the present perfect. By doing so, it shows that something important happened.

Now B could have pretended to downplay it by using the simple past,

"I went to a shop and I bought a book".

It's a matter of speaker choice.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Regarding,

It has been written by J.J.

this part sounds quite unnatural. I can't envision a situation where a speaker would need such an announcement, where the situation would need to have the ooomph that the present perfect gives it.

One of the jobs of the present perfect is to make past actions, even some from a distant past as E2e4 noted, seem important, to give them current relevance. But there has to be a reason and I just don't see one here.

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by e2e4

From Bosnia I see the matter different. My knowledge is poor but my way is to say my opinion.

Your knowledge most certainly is not poor, E2e4. And I respect your opinions and I'm happy to hear that you respect them enough to defend them.

riverkid
1. Tell me some of the fun things you did (have done) since you came to camp.[/quote]

E2e4:
For me did is wrong here. sorry. with "since you came" you have pointed to the exact past! From that exact time and to now you have done something.

There's no need for an apology, E2e4. If you feel it's wrong you feel it's wrong.

But doesn't using 'since' always point to an exact past, whether we use the past simple or the present perfect? since Friday; since last Christmas; since my birthday.

2. I lived (have lived) in Toronto ever (no need for the word ever if have lived is used) since I came to Canada.

'ever' is used in that fashion as a bit of emphasis with both the past simple and the present perfect.

3. It's like, it's like fourteen years since the favorite won the National.

won is correct here because the past has been stated clearly, definite. fourteen years! They won before the fourteen years! how to use present perfect then?

[color=blackWe could do it like this, E2e4.

"It's been like, fourteen years since the favorite has won the National".

A present perfect of current importance.

4. Is it six weeks since we saw the last one then?

saw is correct here because you have pointed to the past when it happened! The time is definite,[/color] six weeks, exactly! I wonder is it six weeks after I saw it.

I'm not completely sure why you think this "exactness" is the overriding factor in the choice between the two, PP and SP.

"Has it been six weeks since we've seen the last one?

5. Since Billy's come (came) around that's all we've been talking about.

(you've used continuous form for you decided to say how you have been taking your time)

It wasn't my personal sentence, E2e4, so I can't be exactly sure why the speaker chose the PP Continuous.


Numbers 1 to 4 are perfectly grammatical and really quite common in speech. {the last three, in SeaGreen, are examples from the LGSWE}

As I already said it could be United States English.

There are of course, times when the speaker feels a greater need to use the present perfect, witness above, the three examples in SeaGreen from the LGSWE.

In number 5, the speaker chooses/chose the present perfect. In numbers 3 and 4, the speakers could have chosen to use the present perfect but didn't.
[/quote]

The present perfect aspect is very simple to make but it is very hard for many people (me too) to use it properly.[/quote]

I agree, it is difficult even for native speakers to see all the options available. But that's life. Some things are easy and some are tough.

It's been nice chatting with you, E2e4. It was nice chatting with you, E2e4.

[Uncle M]

Take pity on those poor French people - they have no choice of tense in speech:

I have gone = je suis alle
I went = je suis alle

I have received = J'ai recu
I received = J'ai recu

Pedant I may be when it comes to English, but the French seem to get by very well with only the perfect tense. I'm not sure about other languages.

And apologies for my lack of accents, by the way.

[e2e4]

"Has it been six weeks since we've seen the last one?

I've been thinking about this one a lot.
Now, I could maybe accept this sentence's correct but because this is interrogative form
Has it been six weeks....? ( Is it six weeks...)
So we do not know exactly (we are not sure) about the time that has passed by.!

Because of the fact the present perfect could be used. I can accept the particular matter this way only. I do not know does my seeing the matter agree with the BrE grammar or not but you've brought me to by some way, this time. It's better ever then never.


It's been nice chatting with you, E2e4. It was nice chatting with you, E2e4.[/quote]

Thanks!

But in addition

It has really been nice chatting with you Riverkid. (you see, with you AmE, to you, BrE)
It was nice chatting to you , last night. (past simple because of the adverb of time, last night)

It has been my pleasure chatting with you for two hours. (has been, because we don't know when)

You don't need to say I am stubborn. It's already been said before.

Anyway I'll investigate about the present importance you've mentioned.
Anyway I'll investigate about the present importance you mentioned in your last post.

In general I have used present perfect with non definite adverbs of time if any. (before, recently, already etc..)
Also in general I have used past simple with the definite adverbs of time such as yesterday, two days ago, 15 years ago, last year, a few seconds ago, last Friday, etc..
I am not talking to you the way that I am right. I have been talking to you how I see the matter. That's all.

You've been of great help. Thanks again. see ya.