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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
tense
Hi,
Can it be said that no. 1 is good since the task of closing the door probably has not done?
Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left?
How would you answer?
1. I told him to close the door but I am not sure he is going to do it/has done it
2. I told him to close the door but I wasn't sure he was going to do it/did/had done it. -- I don't think 'had done' is good.
Can it be said that no. 1 is good since the task of closing the door probably has not done?
Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left?
How would you answer?
1. I told him to close the door but I am not sure he is going to do it/has done it
2. I told him to close the door but I wasn't sure he was going to do it/did/had done it. -- I don't think 'had done' is good.
Top answer
These are OK: Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left? A1: I told him to, but I'm not sure he's going to do it / he's done it. A2: I told him to, but I wasn't sure he was going to do it.
- These are OK: Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left?
- A1: I told him to, but I'm not sure he's going to do it / he's done it.
- A2: I told him to, but I wasn't sure he was going to do it.
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3 Answers
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These are OK:
Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left?
A1: I told him to, but I'm not sure he's going to do it / he's done it.
A2: I told him to, but I wasn't sure he was going to do it.
These are OK:
Q: John, did you tell Joe to close the door when you left?
A1: I told him to, but I'm not sure he's going to do it / he's done it.
A2: I told him to, but I wasn't sure he was going to do it.
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AnonymousI don't think 'had done' is good.Why not?
I told him to close the door, but I wasn't sure he had done it, so I went back to check again for myself.
Perhaps beginning with I had told him would be a little better, but I can imagine the sentence above being used.
CJ
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Hi,
To analyze this kind of tense stuff, you need to consider the various possible contexts.
eg Has the door been closed? Is it liable to be closed in the future? At what point in what sequence of events is the speaker speaking?
If you wish, describe a few scenarios and then ask us if particular sentences fit.
To analyze this kind of tense stuff, you need to consider the various possible contexts.
eg Has the door been closed? Is it liable to be closed in the future? At what point in what sequence of events is the speaker speaking?
If you wish, describe a few scenarios and then ask us if particular sentences fit.
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