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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
I lost the letter I've kept so long.
I have been looking at these sentences a little too closely, and it's starting to get a bit blurry all of them are starting to look correct. I am especially interested in the third one, which mixes simple past with present perfect. I would like a show of hands is it unforgivably wrong? perfectly acceptable? weird or broken English? a construction frequently used by some native speakers, though technically wrong?
I just now lost the letter I'd kept so long. (okay) I just now lost the letter I kept so long. (okay) I just now lost the letter I've kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I'd kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I've kept so long. (bad probably wrong) I still have the letter I've kept so long. (okay) I still have the letter I kept so long. (bad probably wrong)
Ross
Roebuck, South Carolina
http://community.webshots.com/user/ross klatte
http://www.ncplenty.org/businessplan.pdf
It is 4 miles from Denmark to Finland, and 4 miles from Denmark to Sweden, but it is 9 miles from
Denmark to Norway.
I just now lost the letter I'd kept so long. (okay) I just now lost the letter I kept so long. (okay) I just now lost the letter I've kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I'd kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I kept so long. (okay) Some time ago I lost the letter I've kept so long. (bad probably wrong) I still have the letter I've kept so long. (okay) I still have the letter I kept so long. (bad probably wrong)
Ross
Roebuck, South Carolina
http://community.webshots.com/user/ross klatte
http://www.ncplenty.org/businessplan.pdf
It is 4 miles from Denmark to Finland, and 4 miles from Denmark to Sweden, but it is 9 miles from
Denmark to Norway.
Top answer
[nq:1]I have been looking at these sentences a little too closely, and it's starting to get a bit blurry all of ... [/nq] Three is wrong. The condition described by 'Have kept so long' must extend to the present, the moment of utterance, and it doesn't.
- [nq:1]I have been looking at these sentences a little too closely, and it's starting to get a bit blurry all of ...
- [/nq] Three is wrong.
- The condition described by 'Have kept so long' must extend to the present, the moment of utterance, and it doesn't.
- john
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1 Answers
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[nq:1]I have been looking at these sentences a little too closely, and it's starting to get a bit blurry all of ... from Denmark to Finland, and 4 miles from Denmark to Sweden, but it is 9 miles from Denmark to Norway.[/nq]
Three is wrong. The condition described by 'Have kept so long' must extend to the present, the moment of utterance, and it doesn't.
john
Three is wrong. The condition described by 'Have kept so long' must extend to the present, the moment of utterance, and it doesn't.
john
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