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Shupkay Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Is Present Perfect Appropriate In this Sentence?

Although I was taught to use present perfect to describe an action that occurred at an indefinite time before now, the following sentence sounds good.

Have you swept today?

Is this wrong?
  

Top answer

shupkay Have you swept today? Is this wrong? No.

— CalifJim

  • shupkay Have you swept today?
  • Is this wrong?
  • No.
  • It's fine.
  • You haven't mentioned a definite time in your question.
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6 Answers
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shupkayHave you swept today?

Is this wrong?
No. It's fine. You haven't mentioned a definite time in your question. The time period referred to in this question is from the beginning of the day until the time you ask the question. That's indefinite.

CJ
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You're right.

Englishpage.com says You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, etc.

Going by that rule, I treated today the same as the examples above. I mean, you wouldn't say Have you swept yesterday?
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shupkay I mean, you wouldn't say Have you swept yesterday?
That's right. We ask: Did you sweep yesterday?
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Hi,
I was taught that the present perfect can be used with present time markers, such as: today, this morning, this afternoon, tonight, this weekend, this week, this month, this year, until today, etc. when the period of time has not finished at the time of speaking.

TS
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I teach that we use the present perfect with "unfinished time periods" such as today, this week, this morning, etc. and that's because we think of these as the period that we are still in now, hence the statement relates to the present.
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shupkayEnglishpage.com says You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, etc.

Going by that rule, I treated today the same as the examples above.
That's where you made your mistake. "today" can't be treated the same as those exam
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