[Grammar] Lost in Present Perfect

[granjual]

I decided to refresh my grammar with Martin Hewings' Advanced Grammar in Use and got confused doing a couple of sentences in Unit 4: Present Perfect and Past Simple. In 4.1(Choose the Present Perfect or Past Simple), sentence 4 : He proudly told reporters that the company (produce) software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime. My guess - had produced, key answer - has produced.
In 4.2, sentence 4: His father (receive) so many complaints about the noise that he told Chris to sell his drums. My guess: had received, key answer: received.
Can grammar experts comment on this?

 

[corum]

1. He proudly told reporters that the company (produce) software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.

Something happened in answer to the recent increase in X. When did that something happen then? It must have happened even more recently The time frame of the software production, in my opinion, embraces the present time. --> present perfect.

 

[bds51]

Dear Granjual,
Your answer and the solution answer are both correct.

Past Perfect, Past Simple, or Present Perfect? All are correct but what is the difference?

If you assume these are simply sentences with no particular context, both answers are correct and even the past simple is possible if the company CEO is a visionary. For sentence 2, all 3 are correct.

North Americans do not use the past perfect as often as the British and prefer the simple past unless it’s difficult to figure out which of two actions in the past took place first.

1. He proudly told reporters that the company had produced /has produced software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.
2. His father had received / received /has received so many complaints about the noise that he told Chris to sell his drums.

Past Perfect = an action(s) that was completed before a point of time in the past
Past Simple = a completed action that happened at a specific time or a completed action that happened over a specific period of time
Present Perfect = a completed action that has present results or some relevance to the present or an activity completed in the immediate past or that has recently happened
Direct Quote = The company has produced software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.
Reported Speech = He announced that the company has produced (recent news) /had produced (older news) software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.

 

[granjual]

1.

1. He proudly told reporters that the company (produce) software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.

I considered that "recent" refers to "increase", not to "produce", which is a preceeding action.

2.

His father (receive) so many complaints about the noise that he told Chris to sell his drums.

Actually, it wasn't the receipt of A complaint, but a period of receiving many complaints, also preceeding the PI action. That is why I thought of using Past P.
Could you give me a reference to some particular grammar book, please. In the corresponding unit there is nothing about these particular details.

 

[granjual]

bds51
Thank you very much for your answer. Everything would be much easier in the North American language, but this this grammar book is a Cambridge University Press edition. I think I was mostly confused by the fact that the key suggested just one answer, which is not so obvious. A couple of people wrote me that other editions of the same book do not contain these sentense. If so, these must have been not the best examples to train Pres. Perf. vs. Past Ind.

 

[bds51]

Hello Granjual,
Judging from your written English, you don't need to do many grammar refresher exercises. The problem with some of them is that there are often more answers than the solution.

Re grammar books: there are so many good ones but you may want to look at A Practical English Grammar by Thomson and Martinet, or Longman's Advanced Learner's Grammar by Foley and Hall, or Michael Swan's Practical English Usage.

 

[granjual]

Thanks a lot.

 

[corum]

He proudly told reporters that the company (produce) software to prevent the recent increase in computer crime.


Something happened in answer to the recent increase in X. When did that something happen then? It must have happened even more recently The time frame of the software production, in my opinion, embraces the present time. --> present perfect.

 

[granjual]

The time frame of the software production, in my opinion, embraces the present time. --> present perfect.

Thank you very much. This sounds quite reasonable.