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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Past tense correct with certain phrases?

Hi. Is it correct to use the past tense with the phrases "over the past five years" (or any number of years) and "from the time he came here to now"? Thank you for your help in advance.

eg,
He attended school over the past five years.
From the time he came here to now, he attended school continuously.
  

Top answer

The sentences depict continuing action up until the present time, which calls for the present perfect tense. The past tense is not right in this situation. So: He has attended school over the past five years.

— An0nymous

  • The sentences depict continuing action up until the present time, which calls for the present perfect tense.
  • The past tense is not right in this situation.
  • So: He has attended school over the past five years.
  • From the time he came here to now, he has attended school continuously.
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3 Answers
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The sentences depict continuing action up until the present time, which calls for the present perfect tense. The past tense is not right in this situation. So:

He has attended school over the past five years.

From the time he came here to now, he has attended school continuously.
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Hi, thank you. I believe I saw in an online source or heard from someone that the phrase "over the past few years" denotes a definite time in the past.

If it is so, then what is the difference between that and "over the past five years"? I am sure we cannot use the present perfect with any word or words that denote a definite time in the past. Thank you again for your help in advance.
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Over the past few/five years denotes a time period extending from the past up to the present moment, not a time in the past.
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