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Seweryn Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
The past simple & the present perfect
Can I use the past simple apart from the present perfect in AmE?
Examples:
1. I just did it vs I have just done it.
2. She took my wallet vs She has taken my wallet.
3. I didn't finish my homework yet vs I haven't finished my homework yet.
Top answer
Not apart from, but instead of. Sorry for this mistake.
- Not apart from, but instead of.
- Sorry for this mistake.
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3 Answers
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There are contexts where we (I am speaking for my fellow Americans) prefer one over the other.
"It was simple. I just did it!"
"Mama, Billy took my toy!" (You will almost never hear "Billy has taken my toy.")
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SewerynCan I use the past simple apart from the present perfect in AmE?
You say 'apart from', which makes no sense. Don't you mean 'instead of'?
The answer is 'no'. There really aren't that many cases where American speakers don't prefer one or the other of those tenses, so they don't regularly substitute one for the other.
CJ
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