0
Taruns1008 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

"to have been" or "to be"

What I know is that "to have been" in a sentence talk about past situation while "to be" present situation.

#1 She is reported to be absent today.

#2 My friend is expected to be admitted to the hospital.

#3 A robber is alleged to have been arrested yesterday.

But

#4 We expected to be invited to the celebration. (Book)

Here we talk about past, where we were not invited. So I think there should be "to have been invited". Correct me if I am wrong.

Thank you
  

Top answer

"We expected to have been invited" doesn't seem right to me. "We expected to be invited" suffices. You can also say "We had expected to be invited".

— GPY

  • "We expected to have been invited" doesn't seem right to me.
  • "We expected to be invited" suffices.
  • You can also say "We had expected to be invited".
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

13 Answers
0
"We expected to have been invited" doesn't seem right to me. "We expected to be invited" suffices. You can also say "We had expected to be invited".
0
0
taruns1008What I know is that "to have been" in a sentence talk about past situation while "to be" present situation.
Not exactly. Rather than 'present' and 'past', it's more like 'not previous' and 'previous' (to the time of the main clause).
taruns1008 I think there it should be "
0
0
Is #3 correct?

A robber is alleged to have been arrested yesterday.

I'm confused. Emotion: tongue tied
0
0
AnonymousIs #3 correct? A robber is alleged to have been arrested yesterday.
It's correct English.
0
0
Am I correct to say the "alleging" is in the present while the "arrest" was done yesterday ?

Now, somebody alleges that the robber was arrested yesterday. Is it correct?

Thanks for helping.
0
0
You can carry on using "is alleged" after the allegation is first made, as long as the allegation is still in effect (e.g. has not been refuted or withdrawn).
0
0
AnonymousNow, somebody alleges that the robber was arrested yesterday. Is it correct?
In 'is alleged', the alleging is a condition. It could be now or it could have happened before now.
0
0
I'm slowly beginning to understand bit by bit.

Thank you, GPY and MM. Emotion: smile
0
0
Sorry, I'm still a bit confused.

If I understand correctly, I can't say "Someone alleges that the robber has been arrested yesterday". Can I?

Then, why is it that we could write "The robber is alleged to have been arrested yesterday" ?

Thank you for helping.
0
0
Anonymous I can't say "Someone alleges that the robber has been arrested yesterday". Can I?
Right, you cannot, because 'yesterday' is a distinct past point in time, which does not permit present perfect. These are fine:

Someone alleges that the robber was arrested yesterday.
Someone alleges that the robber has been arrested
0

Related Questions