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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Since
Doesn't 'since' always come with a perfect form when it is used for a certan duration?
I thought "I felt some hope for the first time since the morning." was wrong for that, but that seems to be used often when it is used as "for the first time since" in a past tense.
How about "It was exactly five years since her father had died."? I believe "It had been exactly five years ince her father died." is correct grammer-wise.
I thought "I felt some hope for the first time since the morning." was wrong for that, but that seems to be used often when it is used as "for the first time since" in a past tense.
How about "It was exactly five years since her father had died."? I believe "It had been exactly five years ince her father died." is correct grammer-wise.
Top answer
It has been exactly five years isnce her father died- - This is correct. You will sometimes see the present perfect in the 'since' clause, but it is there properly only when that action is also ongoing: 'I have met her several times since I have been attending this school. '
- It has been exactly five years isnce her father died- - This is correct.
- You will sometimes see the present perfect in the 'since' clause, but it is there properly only when that action is also ongoing: 'I have met her several times since I have been attending this school.
- '
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5 Answers
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It has been exactly five years isnce her father died-- This is correct. You will sometimes see the present perfect in the 'since' clause, but it is there properly only when that action is also ongoing: 'I have met her several times since I have been attending this school.'
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Thank you very much for the reply.
I'm afraid my question is about the past perfect. When you want to talk about something in the past, like, you are talking about an old lady's life story, and you want to talk about when she was, say, 55? And you want to say she father died when she was 50, and it was exactly 5 years later when you met her or something. And that "exactly five years" fro
I'm afraid my question is about the past perfect. When you want to talk about something in the past, like, you are talking about an old lady's life story, and you want to talk about when she was, say, 55? And you want to say she father died when she was 50, and it was exactly 5 years later when you met her or something. And that "exactly five years" fro
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Neither; there is no call for the past perfect. The sequence of events is quite clear.
It was exactly five years since her father died.
It is when the order of events is unclear or when you wish to stress the completion of the earlier event that you use the past perfect:
When I met her, her father had been dead for 5 years.
It was exactly five years since her father died.
It is when the order of events is unclear or when you wish to stress the completion of the earlier event that you use the past perfect:
When I met her, her father had been dead for 5 years.
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But to some people, that sounds wrong, doesn't it?-- It doesn't sound 'wrong'; it sounds hyper-correct, i.e. the writer thought he should use it there to be correct...but he shouldn't.
"Speakers of British English usually say it is a long time/two weeks etc since..., and speakers of American English it has been a long time/two weeks etc since..., but both uses are correct "
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"Speakers of British English usually say it is a long time/two weeks etc since..., and speakers of American English it has been a long time/two weeks etc since..., but both uses are correct "
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