To have done it

[tufguy]

Hi,

Is this sentence correct, "We were very small to have done it" is this sentence correct, if yes, then is it a formation that can be used only with the past tense or can it be used with the present as well. Please tell.

 

[charliedeut]

What do you mean I stole the money? I'm too honest to have done that!

Does that answer your question? ;-)

 

[Matthew Wai]

But I still hold you to have done that, because you are not as honest as you profess to be.

Not a teacher.

 

[Raymott]

What do you mean I stole the money? I'm too honest to have done that!

Does that answer your question? ;-)

It doesn't because it uses 'too', not 'very'. You'd need to write "I'm very honest to have done that", which is incorrect.

@OP "He was very young to have started university" is OK, and so is "He was too young to have started university". But the meanings are different. The original doesn't sound natural. But yes, there's no reason you can't use that construction in the present tense, as in "We are very small to be competing in the Tallest Couple competition."

 

[Matthew Wai]

You'd need to write "I'm very honest to have done that", which is incorrect.

Will it be correct if "honest" is replaced with "greedy"?

 

[Tdol]

Not to me.

 

[Matthew Wai]

"Yesterday I helped the police catch a thief, I am very happy to have done so."
How about this?

 

[Barb_D]

If you fix the comma splice with either a conjunction or changing the punctuation, then it's fine.

 

[Matthew Wai]

The conjunction is "and"; the punctuation is "semicolon", correct?

 

[Barb_D]

Yes, or a full stop and starting a new sentence.