0
Fattyshank Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

What's right?

Hello, I have couple sentences I'm not sure.

"I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since morning" or "I suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten anything since morning" So, what's right? I think we can use present perfect after the past simple. Or we can't?

Thanks
  

Top answer

fattyshank Hello, I have couple of sentences I'm not sure about . "I suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten anything since morning . " [Y] describes a current situation After eating whatever you are this morning, you didn't eat anything else today.

— Canadian45

  • fattyshank Hello, I have couple of sentences I'm not sure about .
  • "I suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten anything since morning .
  • " [Y] describes a current situation After eating whatever you are this morning, you didn't eat anything else today.
  • "I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since morning .
  • " [Y] talking about a past situation For example, maybe a day or more ago you felt weak and shaky and in the late afternoon and you had been wondering why you had that bad feeling that day.
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.

39 Answers
0
fattyshankHello, I have couple of sentences I'm not sure about.

"I suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten anything since morning." [Y] describes a current situation

After eating whatever you are this mor
0
0
In this particular case the past perfect is best, because you're talking about what had already taken place at that time in the past when you suddenly remembered.

Your act of remembering was at a particular point in the past. The thing that you remembered was a situation prior to that time.

Edit. I agree with Canadian that the present perfect is possible. We do
0
0
In both sentences, the "suddenly remembered" part of course is in the past. We don't know how recent or remote in the past, but it doesn't matter because the remembering can continue.

In the "haven't eaten" sentence, the not eating continues, while in the "hadn't eaten" sentence the not eating was in the past;
0
0
Thank you both!

Avangi, can I ask you off topic question? Why in your sentence "If it's a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue" did you use "if it's" and "would"? Will the meaning change if we say so:"If it was a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue"? Thanks again
0
0
Avangi, can I ask you off topic question? Why in your sentence "If it's a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue" did you use "if it's" and "would"? Will the meaning change if we say so: "If it was a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue"? Thanks againThank you both! Avangi, can I ask you off topic question? Why in your senten
0
0
okay, but I'd like to see Avangi's answerEmotion: smile
0
0
fattyshankI suddenly remembered that I haven't eaten anything since morning
This makes no sense to me. Considering the meaning of "remember", you can't remember the future, so you couldn't have remembered in the past that something continued up to the present, because at the time of the remembering the present moment was a future time.

.......
0
0
Thank you, CJ. But what about Canadian45's answer and sentence that I found: "I just remembered I have homework"? I'm completely tangled up. Hence the main question: Can we use present simple in sentences that we started with the past time like "I remembered"? Or we should use the past all along?

I'm really sorry for my incomprehension
0
0
CalifJimyou can't remember the future,
I'm really tickled (delighted) that CJ takes this position, which, until I'm slapped down, I'll flatter myself to think is the same as mine.

Canadian makes a compelling (albeit flawed) case for the present perfect, and I readily concede that native speakers use and understand this combination. But it simply does
0
0
fattyshankAvangi, can I ask you off topic question? Why in your sentence "If it's a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue" did you use "if it's" and "would"? Will the meaning change if we say so: "If it was a live casual conversation, the timing would not be an issue"?
Hi,
I cringe when someone asks me about conditionals, because I ha
0

Related Questions