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Lcchang Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
I have cut my finger.
A: Oh, no!
B: What happened?
A: I've cut my finger.
B: Are you okaty?
A: No, I'm not. Look! It's bleeding and it really hurts.
My question is on the third line. The speaker A says that he has cut his/ her finger. I wonder why he has to use the present perfect tense. Will using a simple past tense be okay too? => I just cut my finger. How does that sound?
Please advise.
LCChang
B: What happened?
A: I've cut my finger.
B: Are you okaty?
A: No, I'm not. Look! It's bleeding and it really hurts.
My question is on the third line. The speaker A says that he has cut his/ her finger. I wonder why he has to use the present perfect tense. Will using a simple past tense be okay too? => I just cut my finger. How does that sound?
Please advise.
LCChang
Top answer
Hi Lcchang, Yes, it would seem odd to my ears with " A: I've cut my finger". But if you say " I've just cut my finger", it would be fine.
- Hi Lcchang, Yes, it would seem odd to my ears with " A: I've cut my finger".
- But if you say " I've just cut my finger", it would be fine.
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11 Answers
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Hi Lcchang,
Yes, it would seem odd to my ears with "A: I've cut my finger". But if you say " I've just cut my finger", it would be fine.
Yes, it would seem odd to my ears with "A: I've cut my finger". But if you say " I've just cut my finger", it would be fine.
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GoodmanHi Lcchang,What about "I just cut my finger." or " I just got my finger cut.
Yes, it would seem odd to my ears with "A: I've cut my finger". But if you say " I've just cut my finger", it would be fine.
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Simple past tense would do just fine.
He just walked out of the room seconds ago.
I cut my finger while slicing an onion.
By the way, I won't say I just got my finger cut.
But I would say, I just had my hair cut.
He just walked out of the room seconds ago.
I cut my finger while slicing an onion.
By the way, I won't say I just got my finger cut.
But I would say, I just had my hair cut.
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There's nothing odd about 'I've cut my finger.'
The present perfect tense is just right for this verb, whose past tense has the same form as its present tense. In this context, the action of cutting represents a non-specific time before the present instant. To write, 'I cut my finger,' has the potential misreading of the absolute present--that is, I cut my finger at the very moment I am
The present perfect tense is just right for this verb, whose past tense has the same form as its present tense. In this context, the action of cutting represents a non-specific time before the present instant. To write, 'I cut my finger,' has the potential misreading of the absolute present--that is, I cut my finger at the very moment I am
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Perception can alter definition and I agree. To me cutting your finger is an act for which you don’t want to have lasted too long. That’s why I added “ have just cut” to infer the cutting has just happened. Again, “I have cut my finger” stirred up some logic question in my mind, not necessarily for everyone.
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"I have just cut my finger" is certainly fine, Goodman. The phrase has a bit more emphasis on the immediate moment than the phrase "I have cut my finger." Given the context of the dialogue above, though, it seems pretty clear that the event happened 'within moments' before saying it.
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