Is or Has

Question

Hello All,I have a problem deciding when to use (is/has) in a sentence. Can anyone suggest me based on the sentence below?1. I have been using this product for two weeks now and i noticed my skin texture ( is/ has) visibly improved compared to last time.Thanks alot.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I have been using this product for two weeks now and i noticed my skin texture ( is/ has) visibly improved compared to last time.

First, I have a few other comments. You need a capital 'I'. 'Noticed' should be present tense, to suit either of the two tenses you may choose to follow it. The phrase 'last time' is not a good choice. When is 'last time'? Perhaps you mean 'compared to when I began to use it two weeks ago'? It seems to me you could omit this phrase with little impact on the meaning.

A. I have been using this product for two weeks now and I notice my skin texture is visibly improved.

B. I have been using this product for two weeks now and I notice my skin texture has visibly improved.

Both A and B are acceptable. A focuses on 'now', a statement of a 'present fact'. B focuses on the improvement as having occured during the last two weeks, with a result that exists now.

I'd definitely choose B.

Best wishes, Clive

Marius Hancu · Answer

Clive:

How about
I've noticed?
I thought that might be a possibility as well.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I've noticed does not necessarily suggest you notice at the present time, whereas I notice does.

Best wishes, Clive

Joeviee · Answer

Thanks alot Clive,

I have a question here. Why 'last time' is not a good choice in that sentence. Don't we say things like, "You seemed to put on some weight compared to last time." or "The business is not doing so well compared to last time."

I would say these kind of phrases are very common and often heard in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong or even Taiwan in which english is second language in the countries. I wonder if its grammatical wrong or its just don't sound natural to a native speaker?

Marius Hancu · Answer

>last time

Not very precise in this context.
I.e. when exactly was that?

Goodman · Answer

JoevieeThanks alot Clive,

I have a question here. Why 'last time' is not a good choice in that sentence. Don't we say things like, "You seemed to put on some weight compared to last time." or "The business is not doing so well compared to last time."

I would say these kind of phrases are very common and often heard in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong or even Taiwan in which english is second language in the countries. I wonder if its grammatical wrong or its just don't sound natural to a native speaker?

Joe,

I agree with Clive. “compared to last time” is not an appropriate phrase, perhaps, it’s not even necessary in the context of your sentence. The reason is, the time is already established (2 weeks) and by adding "compared to the last time", it made it more confusing. When is "last time?"

This is a good example to illustrate the importance of context. Sometimes, less can be more. It’s unusual for a sentence to accept both passive and active voice in the same context and still makes sense. But in this case, it works.

I have been using this skin product for two weeks now and I’ve noticed my skin texture ( is/ has) visibly improved.

Joeviee · Answer

Ok I'll try to illustrate base on this sentence. "Jim, you seemed to put on weight compared to last time."

> last time here could mean the last time I saw Jim (a time which is understood between me & Jim),

> It could also mean when I couldn't remember the exact time when I saw Jim he was still thin, it could be couple of weeks ago, months or even years ago

>It could also use as a contraction of "............compared to last time when you were in high school".

Generally, 'last time' is quite commonly used in Asian countires to refer to a date when the speaker not sure about the exact date.

e.g: I saw the movie last time. (I saw the movie some times back but I don't remember the exact date)

I remember lending you a novel last time.(= as above)

I saw this picture last time when I was in Paris. (= as above)

See we use it so often that we don't realize it's been misued in some ways. I appreciate any comments on this as I want to learn proper English:)

Thanks

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Yes, you're right in thinking that these phrases wouldn't usually sound natural to a native speaker. On the other hand, if two Asian people are having a conversation in English like this, and they understand each other, that's not a bad thing, is it?

Ok I'll try to illustrate base on this sentence. "Jim, you seemed to put on weight compared to last time."

> last time here could mean the last time I saw Jim (a time which is understood between me & Jim), I guess this would be OK if they both understood that.

> It could also mean when I couldn't remember the exact time when I saw Jim he was still thin, it could be couple of weeks ago, months or even years ago I think you'd more naturally just say something like 'You seem to have put on weight'.

>It could also use as a contraction of "............compared to last time when you were in high school". still sounds odd

Generally, 'last time' is quite commonly used in Asian countires to refer to a date when the speaker not sure about the exact date. Not very natural to a Western speaker. The past tense already places it in the past, as would present perfect.

e.g: I saw the movie last time. (I saw the movie some times back but I don't remember the exact date)

I remember lending you a novel last time.(= as above)

I saw this picture last time when I was in Paris. (= as above) the last time I was in Paris.Here, you are able to be specific.

Best wishes again, Clive

Joeviee · Answer

Thanks alot for your detailed explanations, Clive, you have pinpointed my mistake that I didn't realize it was a mistake all the while:) Really appreciate that.

Anonymous · Answer

Joe,

Last time – is a common phrase in English, but in the context of your original question it sounded stiff. Following is a list of options and some examples using “last time”.

We had a blast last time you came to visit me
You made the same mistakes last time
His English has improved a lot since last time I saw him

If we can’t remember the exact time of reference, we can use these options:

Some time ago

A while back

Long time ago

Many moons ago

Of course, it must be fitting to the context.

Is or Has

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