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Dominik6 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
I have done ....when it mattered/has mattered
Dear teachers.
I think this is my last question focused in present perfect. At least I hope so.
First of all I would like to show you one construction which many native speakers find to be ok.
- There are things I have done in my life and I was always ready (I have always been ready is ok too) to face the consequences.
In the sentence above I can choose past simple or present perfect depending what I want to emphasise. Past simple (I was always ready) focuses on the individual things I did. However present perfect would be perfectly ok as well with a small difference in meaning - it is more about who I am, what I have been doing until now and that i am prepared to face the music. That's what I was said by two native speakers - ok not that many but I believe them.
The thing I don't understand is why I can not use the same concept in the sentence below:
I have made a lot of good decisions when it really mattered (not when it has really mattered) - I thought there was the same principle and it is up to me what I want to emphasise.Therefore I am really surprised I can not use present perfect in the second part of the sentence.
I think this is my last question focused in present perfect. At least I hope so.
First of all I would like to show you one construction which many native speakers find to be ok.
- There are things I have done in my life and I was always ready (I have always been ready is ok too) to face the consequences.
In the sentence above I can choose past simple or present perfect depending what I want to emphasise. Past simple (I was always ready) focuses on the individual things I did. However present perfect would be perfectly ok as well with a small difference in meaning - it is more about who I am, what I have been doing until now and that i am prepared to face the music. That's what I was said by two native speakers - ok not that many but I believe them.
The thing I don't understand is why I can not use the same concept in the sentence below:
I have made a lot of good decisions when it really mattered (not when it has really mattered) - I thought there was the same principle and it is up to me what I want to emphasise.Therefore I am really surprised I can not use present perfect in the second part of the sentence.
Top answer
I have made a lot of good decisions when it really mattered. The difference is "when" - indicating a single point of time in the past, simultaneous with each of the decision points. The two parts of this sentence have no temporal relationship to each other.
- I have made a lot of good decisions when it really mattered.
- The difference is "when" - indicating a single point of time in the past, simultaneous with each of the decision points.
- The two parts of this sentence have no temporal relationship to each other.
- There are things I have done in my life and I have always been ready to face the consequences.
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4 Answers
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I have made a lot of good decisions when it really mattered.
The difference is "when" - indicating a single point of time in the past, simultaneous with each of the decision points.
The two parts of this sentence have no temporal relationship to each other.
There are things I have done in my life and I have always been ready to face the consequences.
The difference is "when" - indicating a single point of time in the past, simultaneous with each of the decision points.
The two parts of this sentence have no temporal relationship to each other.
There are things I have done in my life and I have always been ready to face the consequences.
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Thank you very much for your response.
It would be perfect if there weren't one thing going against. My teacher and native speakers confirmed that I can say:
Every time this year I have played against him I have won. - It would be possible to say it with past simple in both parts as well depending on what we would want to emphasise.
Therefore I find my original example e
It would be perfect if there weren't one thing going against. My teacher and native speakers confirmed that I can say:
Every time this year I have played against him I have won. - It would be possible to say it with past simple in both parts as well depending on what we would want to emphasise.
Therefore I find my original example e
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Dominik6There are things I have done in my life, and I was always ready to face the consequences.The sentence borders on a non-sequitur, but that aside, the tense sequence is anomalous to my ear.
Let X be the present moment.
...........................................................X
- - - - - - - - t
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Dominik6Every time this year I have played against him I have won.I would change that thus: I have won every time I have played against him this year.
"every time (that)" doesn't count as a construction that bars the present perfect.
This one can also be done in the simple past:
I won every time I played against him this
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