which one is correct ? and if both are correct then where to use which sentence ?

Question

Did you able to find any way?or Have you able to find any way?

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

Neither is correct.

Were you able to find any?
Have you been able to find any?

Lenovob570e · Answer

let me more precise it..
I have gave my assistant a task to find a solution for that.. and now I want to follow up on that.....

which one is correct in this situation?

Were you able to find any way?
Have you been able to find any way?

Grammarfreak · Answer

lenovob570elet me more precise it..I have ~~gave~~ given my assistant a task to find a solution for that.. and now I want to follow up on that.....which one is correct in this situation?Were you able to find any way?Have you been able to find any way?

If the question was formed in present perfect ( "have given"), the proper asnwer is "

Have you been able to find any solution?

In practical usage, I would say: I gave my assistant an assignment which is to find a solution ...."

Odessa Dawn · Answer

Since the word able is an adjective, we need an auxiliary verb. So, that is why the constructions in OP were rejected. Am I correct, please?

Blue Jay · Answer

They would both work.
#1 suggests that there was a period of time allocated to the problem and so the implied question is whether they found a solution when they looked for one.
#2 suggests that they could still be looking, so the implied question is whether they have found a solution yet.

Blue Jay · Answer

Odessa DawnSince the word able is an adjective, we need an auxiliary verb. So, that is why the constructions in OP were rejected. Am I correct, please?

Able normally goes with some form of the verb to be. The original sentences lacked any form of to be. The suggested replacements both do, were you able and have you been able.

Blue Jay · Answer

Notice that fivejedjon, grammarfreak and I have all tried to avoid using find any way? in our sentences. It sounds odd without further context. If you wrote Have you been able to find any way to do X? it would sound better, although I accept that if the previous sentence provided the context it might not sound so odd.

Grammarfreak · Answer

Along Blue Jay's comment, I'd like to add a few insights regarding learners of ESL background, or those who live in non-English speaking countries. My experience has been that in many non-English speaking regions of the world, often times , the institutions or the teachers, or even the teaching materials are not up to the academic standard when compared to that of English speaking countries. Therefore, students can only rely on books and their teachers. In many Asian countries, unless it is an "International School", most English teachers are locally educated. The only English exposure is in the class, so the concept of "natural English" is a blur to most students. I have friends and cousins who graduated from universities and have jobs in high positions in China. But when we emailed each other, I sometimes can't understand exactly what they meant because of grammar issue and words misuse due to error in translation on their part. I completely understand the mental process. For many learners, they want to know "why" certain patterns or structures are the way they are. I think for now, they just need to learn and remember the patterns the experts show them. Reading and practicing are the keys in learning the natural usage and sentence patterns. With perseverence, in time, a lot of "why's" will become clear to you.

which one is correct ? and if both are correct then where to use which sentence ?

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