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Jonathan1 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
The book was written or has been written?
Hello,
If the author that I refer to in a sentence is still alive, should I write
"The book was written by x" or "The book has been written by x"?
Thanks in advance!
If the author that I refer to in a sentence is still alive, should I write
"The book was written by x" or "The book has been written by x"?
Thanks in advance!
Top answer
' Your question is comprehensible, because the author is still alive. However, the writing of that particular book happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present, nor can it ever be changed in the future. ' This is because he is still alive and his writing career is not over, meaning that he may still write more, which would influence the sentence.
- ' Your question is comprehensible, because the author is still alive.
- However, the writing of that particular book happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present, nor can it ever be changed in the future.
- ' This is because he is still alive and his writing career is not over, meaning that he may still write more, which would influence the sentence.
- But for one particular book, use the Past Simple.
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5 Answers
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You should say: 'The book was written by X.'
Your question is comprehensible, because the author is still alive. However, the writing of that particular book happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present, nor can it ever be changed in the future.
If you are talking about the books he has written in general, you should use the Present Perfect, as in: 'X has
Your question is comprehensible, because the author is still alive. However, the writing of that particular book happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present, nor can it ever be changed in the future.
If you are talking about the books he has written in general, you should use the Present Perfect, as in: 'X has
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Jonathan1"The book was written by x"Or avoid the issue entirely:
The book, Hadrian's Dilemma, written by Danielle Greene, is a delight to read.
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Thank you, I didn't think about it.
However, I would still like to know which of the two options is the more correct one.
However, I would still like to know which of the two options is the more correct one.
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Jonathan1If the author that I refer to in a sentence is still alive, should I write "The book was written by x" or "The book has been written by x"?The book was written by x.
However, if it's a brand new book, it might be appropriate to write
A new book has just been written by x.
CJ
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