[Grammar] The film is/was/has been adapted from ...

[kadioguy]

a. The film is adapted from a Michael Crichton novel.

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/adapt

b. The movie was adapted from the book of the same title.

https://learnersdictionary.com/definition/adapt

c. The film has been adapted from a play of the same title.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/adapt
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As you can see, there are three tenses used in the phrase "adapt something from something". I am wondering why. For me, I would think the action "... adapted from" happens in the past. :-?

 

[tedmc]

I would use the third sentence, which is in the present perfect tense. It is about things that happened in the past which is relevant to the present.

I was wondering is considered to be better/more polite than I am wondering.

 

[kadioguy]

I was wondering is considered to be better/more polite than I am wondering.

Thank you, tedmc.

Is the expression "I am wondering" itself polite?

 

[tedmc]

There is a subtle difference.

https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/80410/i-was-wondering-vs-i-am-wondering-vs-i-wonder

 

[kadioguy]

I was wondering is considered to be better/more polite than I am wondering.

That's true. However, I was expressing my thought by using "I am wondering why" (i.e., I was saying something like "I am thinking about it"), rather than making a request as in "I am wondering if you can/could help me?"

 

[jutfrank]

Let's stick to the question in the thread title.

Can you read sentence a. with the word adapted as an adjective instead of a verb? Does that make a difference to how you understand it?

 

[kadioguy]

Can you read sentence a. with the word adapted as an adjective instead of a verb? Does that make a difference to how you understand it?

Yes, if I read sentence a. with the word adapted as an adjective, the sentence will mean to me "this is an adapted-from-a-Michael-Crichton-novel film".

 

[kadioguy]

Can you read sentence a. with the word adapted as an adjective instead of a verb? Does that make a difference to how you understand it?

Can I say in post #1 the present simple is used like the historical present?

As for the following, I guess (2) is natural. What do you think?

(My original conversation)

Tom: Would you like to see the movie?
John:

(1) Sure! It is adapted from my favorite novel An adventure: Learning English.

(2) Sure! It was adapted from my favorite novel An adventure: Learning English.

 

[jutfrank]

Can I say in post #1 the present simple is used like the historical present?

No, not at all. I can't see why you'd think that. Sentence a. is just a piece of factual information about the book.

As for the following, I guess (2) is natural. What do you think?

(My original conversation)

Tom: Would you like to see the movie?
John:

(1) Sure! It is adapted from my favorite novel An adventure: Learning English.

(2) Sure! It was adapted from my favorite novel An adventure: Learning English.

You can use (1) for the same reason as sentence a. in post #1. You can use (2) as well.

 

[kadioguy]

No, not at all. I can't see why you'd think that. Sentence a. is just a piece of factual information about the book.

It seems that it wasn't a nice try. :-?

I thought that because I reviewed one of my questions which is similar to this one.

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This new technology first appears in Europe in the early 20th century.

Daniel "Doc" Anthony Torrance is a fictional character that first appears in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining".

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For the use of the present simple in blue parts, tzfujimino and GoesStation told me that they are the historical present.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/281086-first-appeared-appeares

 

[jutfrank]

The first is but the second isn't.

 

[kadioguy]

The first is but the second isn't.

Could you tell me how I can tell the difference between them? The last question in the thread, could you please help me?

 

[jutfrank]

Could you tell me how I can tell the difference between them? The last question in the thread, could you please help me?

The difference between what exactly?

(I have to go to work very soon.)

 

[kadioguy]

The difference between what exactly?

(I have to go to work very soon.)

(1) This new technology first appears in Europe in the early 20th century.

(2) Daniel "Doc" Anthony Torrance is a fictional character that first appears in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining".

How can we tell the difference of the present simple used between (1) and (2)? You said that (1) is the historical present and (2) isn't. How can we know about that?

(PS I'm sorry for not replying to your post early enough. Have a nice day!)

 

[jutfrank]

Sentence (1) is a great example of the historical present because it is literally part of a history text. The writer is speaking very obviously about an historical event in the past.

Sentence (2) is very different. The statement is not talking about a past event. Now sure, you can understand that there was an event back in 1977 when the character first appeared, but that's not really the point because the sentence is not focused there. It seems to be a sort of timeless overview of the character—he appears here as a child, here as a young man, and here as an adult.