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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Which tense?

Hi All,

is the following sentence natural and correct? Which tense applies to "once"?

"Once he has betrayed his girlfriend."

Thanks a lot!
  

Top answer

"once" is not a verb, it's an adverb or a conjunction. The sentence is awkward and stilted. He betrayed his girlfriend once, and she left him.

— JohnParis

  • "once" is not a verb, it's an adverb or a conjunction.
  • The sentence is awkward and stilted.
  • He betrayed his girlfriend once, and she left him.
  • Once he betrayed his girlfriend, the relatinship was over.
  • " This is an example of once used as a conjunction.
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4 Answers
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"once" is not a verb, it's an adverb or a conjunction.

The sentence is awkward and stilted.

He betrayed his girlfriend once, and she left him.

Once he betrayed his girlfriend, the relatinship was over.

However, you could say "Once he has betrayed his girlfriend, we can blackmail him for money."

This is an example of once used as a conjunction. It means
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Anonymous
"Once he has betrayed his girlfriend."
No, it is not natural.

This is a fragment. Once could be a conjunction, meaning after.

Once he has betrayed his girlfriend, she will never see him again.

If once is moved, then it could mean a single time, and the fragment becomes a main clause:

He has
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This was perfect as explanation! Emotion: smile

I meant once as in one time but didn't know it had to be moved to the end o
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AnonymousI meant once as in one time
No tense restrictions.

I only try once, and then I give up. (present)

I only tried once, and than I gave up. (past)

I will only try once, and then I will give up. (future)

I have only tried once. (present perfect)

I had only tried once. (past perfect)

I will only
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