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Hotmale Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

... to where he came/have come from

Hello,

I'm not sure which tense I should use in the second part of this sentence:

"He wants him back to where he came/have come from,"

Should it be past simple or present perfect?

Thank you
  

Top answer

The way to write this that would sound the most correct is "He wants him back where he came from". It doesn't sound great as a sentence, and so, a better alternative would be "He wants him to go/come back to where he came from". However, with the mention of he twice and him once, it doesn't make it that clear who you are referring to.

— Leemiguel

  • The way to write this that would sound the most correct is "He wants him back where he came from".
  • It doesn't sound great as a sentence, and so, a better alternative would be "He wants him to go/come back to where he came from".
  • However, with the mention of he twice and him once, it doesn't make it that clear who you are referring to.
  • If you can give us the sentences before and after this one, then we can work out a better way of making the meaning clearer to the reader.
  • I hope this helps.
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5 Answers
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The way to write this that would sound the most correct is "He wants him back where he came from". It doesn't sound great as a sentence, and so, a better alternative would be "He wants him to go/come back to where he came from". However, with the mention of he twice and him once, it doesn't make it that clear who you are referring to. If you can give us the sentences before and after
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Thank you, Leemiguel. Of course, you are right with "him" and "he", but I will replace them with names, so it would be clear.
Could you please also tell me why in your first sentence there is no "to"? - "where he came from" and in the second sentence you inserted it - "back to where he came from"?
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Okay. The first sentence, "He wants him back to where he came/have come from," doesn't require to in it because where already means at/in/to the place. "He wants him back in the place where he came from". In the second sentence, "He wants him to go/come back to where he came from", to is part of the phrasal verb to go back to or to come back to. In America
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I see now. Thank you for the explanation!
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