past/present

Question

Let's say, I just finished eating a muffin, I would say:

I loved it! It is/was one of the best muffins I have ever tasted.

Next day, I should say:

I loved it! It is/was one of the best muffins I have/had ever tasted.

I always have this problem and no matter how hard I try I just can't get rid of it. Please help!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Let's say, I just finished eating a muffin, I would say:

I loved it! It is/was one of the best muffins I have ever tasted. OK

Next day, I should say:

I loved it! It is/was one of the best muffins I have/had ever tasted.

I loved it! It was one of the best muffins I have/had ever tasted.

'Have' if it is still true. In most cases, this is the most likely situation.

'Had' if, after that, you tasted a lot of muffins that were better, ie the statement is not true now.

Best wishes, Clive

BarbaraPA · Answer

It was one of the best muffins ...

Certainly, when you just finished it, "I have ever tasted."

If you say "had eaten" it says that something has changed. It's no longer one of the best. And since you are saying "ONE of the best" not "THE best," it will work forever.

Ah, that meal at the Chateau Frontinac in Quebec... when we were on our honeymoon 17 years ago... that was one of the best meals I've ever eaten.

But: That meal at the Chateau Frontincas was the best meal I had ever eaten until I tried that little restaurant around the corner opened. Now I have a new standard of excellence.

Does that make sense?

EDITED: Sorry, got distracted before I finished and hit post. Didn't mean to seem to override Clive.

New2grammar · Answer

Thanks for the wonderful explanations, GG and Clive. Initially I thought there was a relationship between 'is/was' and 'had/have' and that was confusing to me. Now, I know the selection of 'have/had' is solely based on new experience.

One follow-up question:

Why is 'was' correct when you would clearly say 'A muffin is delicious'?

Here's my take:

When you say 'The muffin is delicious', you mean it in the general sense. While, when you say 'The muffin was delicious' you imply you have just had it, in other words I can restructure this sentence as, ' The muffin that I had was delicious'. Am I even close?

BarbaraPA · Answer

The muffin is delicious... that's not a very common way to say that you think, in general, muffins are delicious. You would say "Muffins are delicious." I have to think about why, because you can say both "The dog makes a great pet" or "Dogs make great pets."

You can say "was" to refer to a thing in general that no longer exists.

The T-Rex was a fearsome dinosaur. The great white shark is a fearsome creature.

If you use "was" for something that DOES still exist, then you are referring to a specific example of this thing.

The great white shark was killed off Nag's Head. (And this assumes you had already been talkinga bout that particular shark.)

New2grammar · Answer

I'm trying to fit your explanation to the muffin case.

Let's say there is a deli A that sells tasty muffins:

In general, I would say

A's muffins are delicious. (In general and DOES exist)

After someone ate an A's muffin, he would say

The muffin was delicious. (a specific example and DOES still exist - A still sells tasty muffins)

Is that correct?

BarbaraPA · Answer

Exactly!

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