Sorry our ball went over the fence

[EngLearner]

Suppose you and your friend are playing volleyball. The ball goes over the fence into your neighbor's yard. You want to retrieve the ball, and you say to your neighbor:

Sorry, our ball went/has gone over the fence. It's over there. Could you get it for us please?

I asked an American English speaker, and he said:

If I were to talk to my neighbor while going to retrieve it, I'd certainly say, "Sorry, our ball went over the fence." Saying, "Sorry, our ball has gone over the fence" sounds too stiff and formal to me. It is almost strange.

Does it work the same way in British English, or do you find the use of the present perfect "has gone" natural in this context?

 

[5jj]

I should think the responses to the many similar questions you have asked before would help you come up with your own answer.

 

[EngLearner]

For me, it has to be "has gone" because the ball is still over the fence (the present effect of a past action).

 

[emsr2d2]

For me, it has to be "has gone" because the ball is still over the fence (the present effect of a past action).

That's the tense I would use. In reality, like most people who grew up in my era, I'd knock on the door and utter the oft-repeated phrase "Can I have my ball back?"

 

[5jj]

That's the tense I would use. In reality, like most people who grew up in my era, I'd knock on the door and utter the oft-repeated phrase "Can I have my ball back?"

@EngLearner. This is one reason we have urged you on more than one occasion to use real sentences produced by native speakers. If you make up your own in order to clarify the uses of the tenses/aspects, we will sometimes be discussing sentences that native speakers would not utter.

 

[jutfrank]

For me, it has to be "has gone" because the ball is still over the fence (the present effect of a past action).

It doesn't 'have to be', but yes, you're thinking on the right lines.

 

[SoothingDave]

For me, it has to be "has gone" because the ball is still over the fence (the present effect of a past action).

The ball went over the fence. Simple past. You don't "have to" describe it any other way.

 

[emsr2d2]

Your ball didn't get over there all on its own. To be polite, you could take responsibility for it - "Sorry, I hit/kicked/knocked my ball over your fence. May I go and retrieve it please?"

 

[EngLearner]

This one also works in British English in the context of post #1:

Sorry, I've hit/kicked/knocked my ball over your fence. May I go and retrieve it please?

Am I right?

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not wrong but there's no good reason not to use the simple past.

 

[EngLearner]

For me, it has to be "has gone" because the ball is still over the fence (the present effect of a past action).

That's the tense I would use.

I'm a little bit confused. You said in post #4 that you would use the present perfect "has gone." I thought the same applied to the sentence in post #9:

Sorry, I've hit/kicked/knocked my ball over your fence. May I go and retrieve it please?

 

[jutfrank]

It's not wrong but there's no good reason not to use the simple past.

I understand EngLearner to be saying in post #3 that there is a good reason, which is to focus on a "present effect of a past action".

 

[EngLearner]

Sorry, I've hit/kicked/knocked my ball over your fence. May I go and retrieve it please?

@jutfrank, do you agree with me that there's a good reason to use the present perfect in the quoted sentence?

 

[jutfrank]

A speaker could have a good reason to the present perfect there, yes. As you say, the present perfect form focuses on the present result of the action (the ball being in the neighbour's garden) rather than on the past action of kicking. That's an appropriate focus to make for a situation like this.