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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Grocery Scenario: Various Tenses.
Hello,
Could you please help me with my English since I'm still studying it?
Suppose I am at a self-service till in a grocery store. I am scanning some grocery items until one item can't be scanned by the machine. After a short while, a customer assistance representative approaches me. I came up with the following to likely say to him/her:
A. The machine doesn't scan this one item.
B. The machine didn't scan this one item.
C. The machine is not scanning this one item.
D. The machine was not scanning this one item.
E. The machine can't scan this one item.
F. The machine couldn't scan this one item.
G. The machine is unable to scan this one item.
H. The machine was unable to scan this one item.
1. Which of the above are appropriate to say in the given situation?
2. Does the use of present tense over past tense or vice versa change the machine's ability to scan in light of then and now meaning sentence G, for example, suggests the machine is not working then and now at the time of speaking, while H suggests it was not working then but is working now at the time of speaking, considering the scenario above?
3. If you were me, what would you most likely to say among the above statements?
Could you please help me with my English since I'm still studying it?
Suppose I am at a self-service till in a grocery store. I am scanning some grocery items until one item can't be scanned by the machine. After a short while, a customer assistance representative approaches me. I came up with the following to likely say to him/her:
A. The machine doesn't scan this one item.
B. The machine didn't scan this one item.
C. The machine is not scanning this one item.
D. The machine was not scanning this one item.
E. The machine can't scan this one item.
F. The machine couldn't scan this one item.
G. The machine is unable to scan this one item.
H. The machine was unable to scan this one item.
1. Which of the above are appropriate to say in the given situation?
2. Does the use of present tense over past tense or vice versa change the machine's ability to scan in light of then and now meaning sentence G, for example, suggests the machine is not working then and now at the time of speaking, while H suggests it was not working then but is working now at the time of speaking, considering the scenario above?
3. If you were me, what would you most likely to say among the above statements?
Top answer
I think that E, F, G and H are all possible answers. F and H merely state the fact that the machine was unable/couldn't scan that item in the past while E and G, based on the machine's recent performance, seem to suggest that the machine is still unable to scan the item.
- I think that E, F, G and H are all possible answers.
- F and H merely state the fact that the machine was unable/couldn't scan that item in the past while E and G, based on the machine's recent performance, seem to suggest that the machine is still unable to scan the item.
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15 Answers
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I think that E, F, G and H are all possible answers. F and H merely state the fact that the machine was unable/couldn't scan that item in the past while E and G, based on the machine's recent performance, seem to suggest that the machine is still unable to scan the item.
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Thanks, Ivanhr, for your helpful explanation, but I was wondering why A, B, C and D are not possible. Hope you don't mind, but could you please tell me why?
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A. The machine doesn't scan this item.
B. The machine didn't scan this item.
E. The machine can't scan this item.
F. The machine couldn't scan this item.
G. The machine is unable to scan this item.
H. The machine was unable to scan this item.
(You don't need to say "this one item". "This item" is
B. The machine didn't scan this item.
E. The machine can't scan this item.
F. The machine couldn't scan this item.
G. The machine is unable to scan this item.
H. The machine was unable to scan this item.
(You don't need to say "this one item". "This item" is
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I would say that A is incorrect whereas B is possible but not likely. The reason for this is very simple: you did (try to) scan the item but the scan was unsuccessful. C and D are both wrong because they use the progressive verbs which focus on the duration of the scanning rather than the results.
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Thanks, frostwhite, for sharing your thoughts on this. I appreciate it!
Thanks, Ivanhr, for explaining further your answers. This makes perfect sense to me now.
Thanks, Ivanhr, for explaining further your answers. This makes perfect sense to me now.
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Hi!
I don't see anything wrong about A and B. But perhaps you are right.
I don't see anything wrong about A and B. But perhaps you are right.
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C. The machine is not scanning this one item.
D. The machine was not scanning this one item.
D. The machine was not scanning this one item.
IvanhrC and D are both wrong because they use the progressive verbs which focus on the duration of the scanning rather than the results.What if we say the following to the customer assistance representative, the verbs of which are in progressive te
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I may use the first (the present continuous verb). Quite obviously, in this case the meaning is the same as 'the machine's broken'.
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Thank you for that clarification.
Sometimes I find learning English theoretically confusing because in some cases, same forms/tenses express different meanings. Well, practice makes perfect.
Sometimes I find learning English theoretically confusing because in some cases, same forms/tenses express different meanings. Well, practice makes perfect.
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AnonymousSuppose I am at a self-service till in a grocery store. I am scanning some grocery items until one item can't be scanned by the machine. After a short while, a customer assistance representative approaches me. I came up with the following to likely say to him/her:
A. The machine doesn't scan this one item.
B. The machine didn't s
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