present perfect progressive with past simple

[ostap77]

"The criminal, who we've been tracking down for the last couple of weeks, got away."

OR

"The criminal, who we've been tracking down for the last couple of weeks, has got away."

Can I use the present perfect progressive with the past simple or I'd better use it with the present perfect?

 

[5jj]

Can I use the present perfect progressive with the past simple or [STRIKE]I'd [/STRIKE] had I better (or would it be better to use it with the present perfect?

Both your sentences are possible.

 

[tzfujimino]

Hi.:-D
May I ask a question here?

Isn't "whom" required in those sentences?

The criminal, whom we've been tracking down for the last couple of weeks, got away.

Thank you in advance!:-D

 

[BrunaBC]

In the sentence

"The criminal, we've been tracking down for the last couple of weeks, has got away. ​

I believe this got should be replaced by gotten (has gotten away), shouldn't it?​

 

[tzfujimino]

In the sentence

"The criminal, we've been tracking down for the last couple of weeks, has got away. ​

I believe this got should be replaced by gotten (has gotten away), shouldn't it?​

Hi, BrunaBC!:-D
I think 'got' is OK.
Please go to : English Irregular Verbs - UsingEnglish.com

 

[BrunaBC]

You're right tzfujimino! Thanks a lot ;-)

 

[Barb_D]

Regarding the "whom" -- either delete the commas so it tells you which criminal (the one we've been tracking), or insert the "whom" to add the additional information that the known criminal has been being tracked.

And yes, in American English, it's "gotten." That got/gotten thing trips me up every time.

 

[5jj]

the additional information that the known criminal has been being tracked

It warms my heart to see a present perfect progressive passive.

ps. I should have noticed the missing 'who(m)' in the original post. Sorry about that . Well spotted, tzfujimino

 

[Barb_D]

You know, I thought about that before I finalized the post, and decided it really was the most straight-forward way to say it. That is, it had been being thought about!

 

[ostap77]

So there's no difference whether to use the present perfect or the past simple in the final part,is there?

 

[ostap77]

Or is it about sounding fomal or informal?

 

[Barb_D]

No, it has nothing to do with formal or informal.

You make your choice based on what you want to say.

It's the same difference as between "I made dinner" and "I've made dinner" or "He lost his wallet" and "He has lost his wallet."

 

[BrunaBC]

No, it has nothing to do with formal or informal.

You make your choice based on what you want to say.

It's the same difference as between "I made dinner" and "I've made dinner" or "He lost his wallet" and "He has lost his wallet."

Just to be sure (because I'm not):

I made dinner - I made the dinner and I finished eating that.
I've made dinner - I've made it and it's not fully consumed yet. (or maybe just because the time is not mentioned?)

He lost his wallet - And haven't found it yet.
He has lost his wallet - and probably already found it.

Simple past and present perfect always confuse me.

 

[emsr2d2]

Just to be sure (because I'm not):

I made dinner - I made the dinner and I finished eating that.
I've made dinner - I've made it and it's not fully consumed yet. (or maybe just because the time is not mentioned?)

He lost his wallet - And haven't found it yet.
He has lost his wallet - and probably already found it.

Simple past and present perfect always confuse me.

The usage has little to do with whether or not the dinner has already been eaten or the wallet has already been found. In fact, with the wallet example, the opposite is true of "I have lost my wallet". I would only expect to hear that before the wallet is found.

For me, the difference is simply to do with whether you are stating a fact or stating a fact which is probably combined with another piece of information, or in answer to a question.

I have lost my wallet. Statement of basic fact. (It has almost certainly not been found yet)
I lost my wallet yesterday. (We don't know if it's been found yet)
I lost my wallet in the park. (We don't know if it's been found yet)
I lost my wallet while I was in France. (We don't know if it's been found yet)
While I was travelling on the train last week, I lost my wallet.

You can say "I have lost my wallet" as a standalone sentence at the instant you realise it is missing, or any time after that, right up to the moment that you find it again.

 

[BrunaBC]

Thank you emsr2d2 for the enlightening explanation. Actually now I realized I swapped (lack of attention) the two last senteces about the wallet. So my thought was in the right direction.

Thank you.

 

[ostap77]

I understand but I still need to ask you if it's OK with the past simple following the present perfect progressive?

 

[5jj]

I answered that in post #2.