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Perfect Stranger Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Grammar question no. 71: I have been offline...

Dear All,

Let's say that my router went dead on Friday evening and I got it fixed on Monday evening. If someone asks me on Monday evening Why haven't you been online these days? should I use the present perfect tense and say I've been offline since Friday ? What if the question came in past simple? I'm wondering if present pferfect is the right choice here because after all it shows certain continuity with the present.

Thanks

Cheers
  

Top answer

Perfect Stranger I got it fixed on Monday evening. If someone asks me on Monday evening Why haven't you been online these days? should I use the present perfect tense and say I've been offline since Friday ?

— Mister Micawber

  • Perfect Stranger I got it fixed on Monday evening.
  • If someone asks me on Monday evening Why haven't you been online these days?
  • should I use the present perfect tense and say I've been offline since Friday ?
  • Yes, you may.
  • Perfect Stranger What if the question came in past simple?
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2 Answers
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Perfect StrangerI got it fixed on Monday evening. If someone asks me on Monday evening Why haven't you been online these days? should I use the present perfect tense and say I've been offline since Friday ?
Yes, you may.
Perfect StrangerWhat if the question came in past simple?
I was offline until just a few minutes ago.
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To answer the question Why haven't you been online . . . ?
by saying I have been off-line . . .
seems to me like no real answer at all. The questioner already knows you have been off-line!


Clive
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