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Paul Evdokimov Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
'in the last year' vs 'this year'
Hi there,
'14-year-old Gary Hall has been arrested four times in the last year.'
1. Does 'the last year' in the sentence above mean the one before the current, i.e. 2015, or the current year, i.e. 2016?
2. If 'the last year' means the previous one, the one that finished, why has the author used the present perfect tense?
3. If 'the last year' means 2016, why 'this year' has not been used instead?
Thanks for your comments in advance.
'14-year-old Gary Hall has been arrested four times in the last year.'
1. Does 'the last year' in the sentence above mean the one before the current, i.e. 2015, or the current year, i.e. 2016?
2. If 'the last year' means the previous one, the one that finished, why has the author used the present perfect tense?
3. If 'the last year' means 2016, why 'this year' has not been used instead?
Thanks for your comments in advance.
Top answer
Hi 1. I would understand 'in the last year' to mean 'in the last twelve months' and it might not be exact. He has been arrested four times since about the middle of last January 2a.
- Hi 1.
- I would understand 'in the last year' to mean 'in the last twelve months' and it might not be exact.
- He has been arrested four times since about the middle of last January 2a.
- And I think that's why it's the continuous.
- It's happened four times up until now and, all the signs are, it may happen again 2b.
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3 Answers
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Hi
1. I would understand 'in the last year' to mean 'in the last twelve months' and it might not be exact. He has been arrested four times since about the middle of last January
2a. And I think that's why it's the continuous. It's happened four times up until now and, all the signs are, it may happen again
2b. If you wanted to refer to a particular calendar year, the p
1. I would understand 'in the last year' to mean 'in the last twelve months' and it might not be exact. He has been arrested four times since about the middle of last January
2a. And I think that's why it's the continuous. It's happened four times up until now and, all the signs are, it may happen again
2b. If you wanted to refer to a particular calendar year, the p
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dave_anon2b. If you wanted to refer to a particular calendar year, the perfect would be right: - In 2015 he had stolen from four shops and had been arrested four timesAre you sure the past perfect is appropriate in this case? I'd use the past simple instead: '' In 2015 he stole from four shops and was arrested four times..."
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Hi
You're right, but I don't quite know why. If we go back many years, the perfect seems right but, yes, 2015 is too recent ...
- In 2015 he stole from four shops and was arrested four times
- In 1964 he had also stolen from shops and been arrested many times
I suppose that last year is still part of his continuing story, whereas 1964 is not
Dave
You're right, but I don't quite know why. If we go back many years, the perfect seems right but, yes, 2015 is too recent ...
- In 2015 he stole from four shops and was arrested four times
- In 1964 he had also stolen from shops and been arrested many times
I suppose that last year is still part of his continuing story, whereas 1964 is not
Dave
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