Has caused everyone's concerns
(ex) The unknown virus could be the next threat that has caused everyone's concerns.
Some of my non-native English speaking friends think "has caused" is the wrong tense. Some suggest that "causes" works. Could someone explain why the simple present works, but not the present perfect? Thanks a lot.
Top answer
The virus is unidentified, and so it is unknown if it has caused anything. The perfect tenses represent completed action, but with no action completed, as of yet, it's not the correct tense to use. (Plus, the phrase "has caused everyone's concerns" is ungrammatical.
- The virus is unidentified, and so it is unknown if it has caused anything.
- The perfect tenses represent completed action, but with no action completed, as of yet, it's not the correct tense to use.
- (Plus, the phrase "has caused everyone's concerns" is ungrammatical.
- ) The present tense if not right either.
- The phrase "causes/has caused/will cause everyone's concerns" is ungrammatical.
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The virus is unidentified, and so it is unknown if it has caused anything. The perfect tenses represent completed action, but with no action completed, as of yet, it's not the correct tense to use. (Plus, the phrase "has caused everyone's concerns" is ungrammatical. See the following.)
The present tense if not right either. The phrase "causes/has caused/will cause everyone's con
0"could be" implies uncertainty, as if it is not known for sure whether this threat has happened, or whether it may happen in the future. "has caused", on the other hand, sounds definite, as if it is a known fact that people are concerned by the threat. Therefore the two feel incompatible.
"causes", though simple present tense in form, can also be used with a future sense. Therefore it ca
0ansonguyThe unknown virus could be the next threat thathas causedcauses everyone's concerns.
The present tense covers both present and future time. Here it represents future time. The present perfect indicates past time; it won't work with the word "next", which indicates future time.
CJ
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