Correct sentence

ihop · Jan 10, 2011

Hi,

Please correct the below sentence...

When Jennifer come in the evening I will give her a gift.

Thanks,
Ihop.

billmcd · Jan 10, 2011

ihop said:
Hi,

Please correct the below sentence...

When Jennifer comes in the evening (OR "this evening")I will give her a gift.

Thanks,
Ihop.

OK.

milan2003_07 · Jan 10, 2011

ihop said:
Hi,

Please correct the below sentence...

When Jennifer come in the evening I will give her a gift.

Thanks,
Ihop.

When Jennifer comes in the evening, I will give her a gift.

ihop · Jan 10, 2011

Thanks!

milan2003_07 · Jan 10, 2011

I think "When Jeniffer has come ..." is also possible. The same meaning.

Rover_KE · Jan 10, 2011

milan2003_07 said:
I think "When Jeniffer has come ..." is also possible. The same meaning.

No, Milan - that doesn't work.

Rover

milan2003_07 · Jan 10, 2011

Rover_KE said:
No, Milan - that doesn't work.

Rover

Why?

When the train arrives, we will board it
When the train has arrived, we will board it

When the morning comes, we will go to work
When the morning has come, we will go to work

Why doesn't the original sentence work with the Present Perfect?

billmcd · Jan 11, 2011

milan2003_07 said:
Why?

When the train arrives, we will board it
When the train has arrived, we will board it

When the morning comes, we will go to work
When the morning has come, we will go to work

Why doesn't the original sentence work with the Present Perfect?

None of your examples are grammatically correct. Both phrases in your example refer to the future. You are combining the recent past/present perfect (in your examples, the train/morning hasn't arrived) with the future. Use of the simple present for future ( "when the train/morning arrives/comes") is consistent with simple future ("will"). More briefly, don't use present perfect for future actions.

5jj · Jan 11, 2011

billmcd said:
None of your examples are grammatically correct. [...] More briefly, don't use present perfect for future actions.

Sorry bill, you are wrong.
Constructions with the present perfect for future actions are perfectly acceptable.
When you have read this, you will understand what I mean.;-)

Any form of the present (simple, progressive, perfect) can be used for the future, especially in clauses of condition and time.

5jj · Jan 11, 2011

Milan: I think "When Jeniffer has come ..." is also possible. The same meaning.

Rover_KE said:
No, Milan - that doesn't work.

I'm with milan, Rover: Why?

I admit that I'd say 'has arrived' rather than 'has come', but that's a personal thing. I can't see that "When Jennifer has come..." is wrong.

Rover_KE · Jan 11, 2011

It just sounds wrong to me, but as I'm clearly outvoted, I'll get my coat.

Rover

5jj · Jan 11, 2011

Rover_KE said:
It just sounds wrong to me, but as I'm clearly outvoted, I'll get my coat.

When you've got your coat, I'll pass your hat.;-)

billmcd · Jan 11, 2011

fivejedjon said:
Sorry bill, you are wrong.
Constructions with the present perfect for future actions are perfectly acceptable.
When you have read this, you will understand what I mean.;-)

Any form of the present (simple, progressive, perfect) can be used for the future, especially in clauses of condition and time.

OK. I stand (or sit) corrected. Technically/grammatically you are correct. I think I was "overcome" by popular usage because "When Jennifer has come in the evening, I will give her a gift" just doesn't work for me (maybe it's the verb "come") and, I think, at least in AmE, you would hear/read "When Jennifer comes......" most often. For me, use of simple present sounds/reads better for some statements than for others.

5jj · Jan 11, 2011

billmcd said:
"When Jennifer has come in the evening, I will give her a gift" just doesn't work for me (maybe it's the verb "come") and, I think, at least in AmE, you would hear/read "When Jennifer comes......" most often.'

I think you are right about the verb. You'll note that I said I preferred 'arrive', and I imagine it was the 'come' that made Rover unhappy.

I sprang up in defence of the use of the present perfect in such future constructions, but concede that 'come' wasn't the best verb to fight for.

milan2003_07 · Jan 11, 2011

I think that's the difference between AE and BE. Probably in AE people don't use Present Perfect for future that follows "if". We need more AE speakers to see if it's so. I was taught at the university that both are possible. I was also surprised to hear that Present Perfect is wrong.

Rover_KE · Jan 11, 2011

5jj wrote

You'll note that I said I preferred 'arrive', and I imagine it was the 'come' that made Rover unhappy.

That's right.

I wanted to let Milan know that "When Jennifer has come in the evening, I will give her a gift" is not a sentence a native speaker is ever likely to say.

Rover

milan2003_07 · Jan 11, 2011

Rover_KE said:
5jj wrote

That's right.

I wanted to let Milan know that "When Jennifer has come in the evening, I will give her a gift" is not a sentence a native speaker is ever likely to say.

Rover

The problem is in the usage of the Present Perfect here or you insist that the verb "to come" should be replaced with "to arrive"?

5jj · Jan 11, 2011

milan2003_07 said:
The problem is in the usage of the Present Perfect here or you insist that the verb "to come" should be replaced with "to arrive"?

The present perfect is OK - that's why I questioned Rover's rejection of your sentence. However, I am inclined to agree with Rover on this point: "When Jennifer has come in the evening, I will give her a gift" is not a sentence a native speaker is ever likely to say.

milan2003_07 · Jan 11, 2011

OK. Now I see the problem. "Come" is not the right word.

Rover_KE · Jan 11, 2011

'Come' is the right word.

I'd say 'When Jennifer comes this evening I'm going to give her this necklace'.

Rover

Correct sentence

Junior Member

Key Member

Senior Member

Junior Member

Senior Member

Moderator

Senior Member

Key Member

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Key Member

Moderator

Senior Member

Moderator

Senior Member

Moderator

Senior Member

Moderator

Similar threads