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ChronoManiac Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Has or had - what tense to use in this sentence?

Hello everyone

What would be correct to use in this sentence - has or had?

If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long has/had it been used for.

Also, can anyone tell me what part of grammar such a sentence belong to? I mean, when we say "there's no way to know how long" is there any part of English grammar that dictates what kind of tense or rules should one follow?

Thanks
  

Top answer

If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for . ) I bought a used TV and it failed after a month. When I bought it there was no way to know how long it had been used by its previous owner.

— AlpheccaStars

  • If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for .
  • ) I bought a used TV and it failed after a month.
  • When I bought it there was no way to know how long it had been used by its previous owner.
  • )
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8 Answers
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If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for. (The main sentence is in the present and the use is in the past, so present perfect is the correct tense.)

I bought a used TV and it failed after a month. When I bought it there was no way to know how long it had been used by its previous owner. (The main sentence is in the past and
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Note word order:


If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for.
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Also note the word order.

If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for.
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CliveAlso note the word order.If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for.
Must be some kind of telepathy going on here! According to the clock, we posted near identical comments at the same moment, to the nearest second.
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If you buy a used product, there's no way to know how long it has been used for.

I think 'for' should be removed.
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Given that we say something has been used for an amount of time, I don't see why "how long it has been used for" should be incorrect.
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