|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > "Sorry I īm late, I īve missed the bus." or "Sorry I īm late I missed the bus."?
"Sorry I īm late, I īve missed the bus." or "Sorry I īm late I missed the bus."?
|
angela#anaconda
|
"Sorry I īm late, I īve missed the bus." or "Sorry I īm late I missed the bus."?
|
|
Hi guys, I know that I would tend to say "Sorry I īm late I missed the bus." but logically it would be more appropriate to use the present perfect because the past action "be late" has consequences on the moment being.Who can help?? |
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
|
fsams
|
|
"Sorry I īm late, I īve missed the bus."
....would be more appropriate as we use the present perfect when we don īt want to tell exactly when something happened in the past. And your point about consequences also accounts for this choice :) |
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
Well, I wouldn īt say I īve at all. That sounds strange.
I usually say - "Sorry I īm late, I missed the bus.
|
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
GIOVANNI
|
|
I tend to agree with Libertybell. |
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
GIOVANNI
|
|
I tend to agree with Libertybell. I would also think if the person is apologizing for being late it means that it is something that finished a short time ago. |
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
67Englishteacher
|
I īd spontaneously say "I īve", for the reasons mentioned above.
But in American English, the past simple is much more common, even when a consequence is expressed or when the exact time isn īt mentioned. So I īm not surprised Libertybell would use the simple past rather than the present perfect :)
However, I think you could also say "I missed" simply because the exact time is sort of hinted at even if not really mentioned. I mean a student saying that is in fact answering the question "what happened to you? / Where were you at the time when you should have been with the rest of the class?" and this gives some kind of time context... I think!
I īm glad you asked this tricky question, I wonder what the other members will answer :)
|
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
Zora
|
Uhh... no... It īs the simple past and here īs why:
If the person was calling her boss because she was already late and either at the bus stop or at home, it would make sense to say:
"Sorry I īm late, I īve missed the bus.."
BUT...
If the person is walking through the doors at work, sees her boss she has to say:
"Sorry I īm late, I missed the bus." - NOT the other since it makes no sense. It sounds like she īs still waiting for the bus.
Now why to this???
The bus goes by at a set time, a thing that happens regularly and that everybody knows about this. Facts don īt need a past indicator to indicate it is a past event. It īs like saying...
Columbus discovered America. - It īs a fact, and time is not needed for everyone to know it happened in the past.
|
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
Spagman63
|
Actually, he didn īt. HE discovered CENTRAL America. When he got back did he say, "I īve discovered America." or "I Discovered America?" I agree with Zora that it should be simple past.
|
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
Me three - that īs what I was saying all along!
(nobody listens to me - I īm all alone - forgotten - ignored. Dont � mind me -
forget I īm here - just a fly on the wall...................)
*S*
and that ain īt cheesy - Spagman! 
I īm a master at guilt!
|
25 Aug 2009
|
|
|
HARIM
|
|
Hi everyone,
Both are correct,but in different contexts:
"I īve missed the bus" is a present result of a past action.It means that missing the bus is recent and the speaker may add "....may be Iīll take a taxi�
"I missed the bus" entails that both the speaker and listener are talking about something that happened in the past and the speaker may add "...this is why I came late"
I hope it īs clear
Cheers |
25 Aug 2009
|
|
1
2
Next >
|
