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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Verb choice

“John was up front and, also in this instance, he operated in tune with his partner, as he did his entire life.”

“John was up front and, also in this instance, he operated in tune with his partner, as he had his entire life.”

Which one is grammatically correct: “as he did his entire life” or “as he had his entire life”? The meaning I’m trying to achieve is that John acted a certain way his entire life and not only up to that point. Thanks
  

Top answer

The first would work if John is now dead, and he acted this way throughout his life. The second would work if you only meant to describe his actions up to this point. He may have acted differently later, or he may have continued to act this way.

— Blue Jay

  • The first would work if John is now dead, and he acted this way throughout his life.
  • The second would work if you only meant to describe his actions up to this point.
  • He may have acted differently later, or he may have continued to act this way.
  • If John is still alive, and still acts this way, you could use has .
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1 Answers
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The first would work if John is now dead, and he acted this way throughout his life.
The second would work if you only meant to describe his actions up to this point. He may have acted differently later, or he may have continued to act this way.
If John is still alive, and still acts this way, you could use has.
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