Is this sentence wrong?
If we had read the instructions more carefully we would have known what to do now.
Hi. The above example is from a linguistic book. The book claims the sentence is fine. But I was told elsewhere that this sentence is wrong. They said there was a collision between “have been” and “now”.
So what do you teachers think of it? Is it wrong in your opinions?
Thank you.
Top answer
zuotengdazuo a collision between “have been” "have known" and “now”. Theoretically, yes, but speakers of English taken in the aggregate are not nearly as fussy as those who answer grammar questions in forums. "now" can be taken literally as "this very moment at which I am uttering these words" or less literally as "very recently (when we just learned that we don't know what to do)".
- zuotengdazuo a collision between “have been” "have known" and “now”.
- Theoretically, yes, but speakers of English taken in the aggregate are not nearly as fussy as those who answer grammar questions in forums.
- "now" can be taken literally as "this very moment at which I am uttering these words" or less literally as "very recently (when we just learned that we don't know what to do)".
- If taken literally, 'now' will seem contradictory to the verb phrase, but in my opinion, most people will take a more charitable view of the situation.
- 9% of the people who might hear it.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
zuotengdazuoa collision between“have been”"have known" and “now”.
Theoretically, yes, but speakers of English taken in the aggregate are not nearly as fussy as those who answer grammar questions in forums.
"now" can be taken literally as "this very moment at which I am uttering these words" or le
0
Related Questions