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Witty witty 764 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
The present perfect and the past simple
Hi. I'd like to ask you a question about these tenses. I'm going to show you an example.
- They have swung by our house today. They have smashed/smashed our computers. One of them has stolen/stole all the money.
Can I use the present perfect? I reckon that all the actions affect the present. However this past period is over, isn't it?
Top answer
witty witty 764 They swung by our house today. Simple past. There is no great announcement in this fact, so present perfect reads oddly.
- witty witty 764 They swung by our house today.
- Simple past.
- There is no great announcement in this fact, so present perfect reads oddly.
- witty witty 764 They have smashed/smashed our computers.
- Present perfect announces this dramatic event, while simple past is just that.
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1 Answers
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witty witty 764They swung by our house today.
Simple past. There is no great announcement in this fact, so present perfect reads oddly.
witty witty 764 They have smashed/smashed our computers.
Present perfect announces this dramatic event, while simple past is just that.
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