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Guest Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Tenses
I've noticed lately, particularly in police reports on the news, this kind of past tense -
"He's walked down the road - he's broken into a car - he's driven it for so many kilometres, then he's broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money. He's been observed and the police have been called."
Could this be called Past Perfect or is it incorrect? It grates on me every time I hear it.
Amalter.
"He's walked down the road - he's broken into a car - he's driven it for so many kilometres, then he's broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money. He's been observed and the police have been called."
Could this be called Past Perfect or is it incorrect? It grates on me every time I hear it.
Amalter.
Top answer
It was all written in the Present Perfect Tense: He has walked down the road he has broken into a car he has driven it for so many kilometres then he has broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money He has been observed and the police have been called. (present perfect too, but in the passive voice)
- It was all written in the Present Perfect Tense: He has walked down the road he has broken into a car he has driven it for so many kilometres then he has broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money He has been observed and the police have been called.
- (present perfect too, but in the passive voice)
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3 Answers
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It was all written in the Present Perfect Tense:
He has walked down the road
he has broken into a car
he has driven it for so many kilometres
then he has broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money
He has been observed and the police have been called. (present perfect too, but in the passive voice)
He has walked down the road
he has broken into a car
he has driven it for so many kilometres
then he has broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and money
He has been observed and the police have been called. (present perfect too, but in the passive voice)
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It IS present perfect, but it's being used incorrectly.
A sequence of statements in past tense imply that they happened in the order described, BUT
a sequence of statements in present perfect does not imply this.
Example:
"He walked down the road. He broke into a car" -- implies that the walking happened FIRST, and the breaking in happened NEXT.
But:
"
A sequence of statements in past tense imply that they happened in the order described, BUT
a sequence of statements in present perfect does not imply this.
Example:
"He walked down the road. He broke into a car" -- implies that the walking happened FIRST, and the breaking in happened NEXT.
But:
"
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I've just answered part of Guest's question..
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Thank you, Rommie! You a
I've just answered part of Guest's question..
Sorry, Guest..
Thank you, Rommie! You a
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