Present perfect with superlatives

Hi everyone! What's the difference between the following sentences:

1. Jill is the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

2. Jill was the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

I think both sentences mean that John hasn't met anybody like Jill up till now.

But I wonder if sentence 2 means Jill is dead?


How about these ones:

3. It is the most boring film I have ever seen.

4. It was the most boring film I have ever seen.


Thanks for your help!

ronmecer said:

1. Jill is the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

2. Jill was the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

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1. Jill is still part of the life of the speaker and/or John.
2. Jill is no longer part of the lives of the speaker or of John. Since she left, John has not met a more beautiful girl.

In #3, below, Jill is no longer part of John's life. It is possible that he has met a more beautiful girl since Jill left.

3. Jill was the most beautiful girl John had ever met.

5jj said:

1. Jill is still part of the life of the speaker and/or John.
2. Jill is no longer part of the lives of the speaker or of John. Since she left, John has not met a more beautiful girl.

In #3, below, Jill is no longer part of John's life. It is possible that he has met a more beautiful girl since Jill left.

3. Jill was the most beautiful girl John had ever met.

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Thanks! 5jj I have one more question
Can I write this way?
Jill has been the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

The present perfect in the first part sounds really weird.

Barb_D said:

The present perfect in the first part sounds really weird.

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That was my first reaction.

I have come back to it twenty minutes later with the thought that it might be possible:

A: John has had a lot of girlfriends.
B: Yes, and some of them have been pretty attractive. Do you remember Jill?
C: Oh, yes! Jill has been the most beautiful girl John has ever met.

I think that it is possible for someone to say this, though I think 'Jill was...' is far more likely. I don't recommend it.

5jj said:

1. Jill is still part of the life of the speaker and/or John.
2. Jill is no longer part of the lives of the speaker or of John. Since she left, John has not met a more beautiful girl.

In #3, below, Jill is no longer part of John's life. It is possible that he has met a more beautiful girl since Jill left.

3. Jill was the most beautiful girl John had ever met.

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Hi 5jj Just to make sure I don't misunderstand it
What do you exactly mean by "no longer part of lives" and "she left"?
Does it mean "she is dead" or something else like:

Jill and I broke up last week. She was the most beautiful girl I have ever met.

ronmecer said:

Hi 5jj Just to make sure I don't misunderstand it
What do you exactly mean by "no longer part of lives" and "she left"?
Does it mean "she is dead" or something else like:

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Not a teacher
Hi
What is the meaning of I wanna be with you?
It means(maybe), I want to live with you or something else like that.

no longer part of lives in this phrase, generally, Mr. 5jj meant that she(Jill ) is not living
with John any more. Maybe they broke up.