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Ask for help > Need help with three questions
Need help with three questions
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caren_630
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Need help with three questions
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Dear colleagues,
Can someone please provide me with the answer for these three questions and the reason for choosing past or present perfect in each sentence, please?
1- My parents (spent - have spent) their 20th wedding anniversary in Mexico.
2- My Granny (made - has made) a delicious cake for my birthday.
3- Molly and Henry (visited - have visited) us at Christmas.
Thx a lot,
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20 Apr 2013
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MoodyMoody
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As an American English speaker, I would use the past tense for all three, not the present perfect. They are all actions that were completed in the past at specific times, with no ongoing action. Here are some changes that would make the present perfect correct: 1. My parents have spent their last five anniversaries in Mexico. (up to now) 2. My grandmother has made me a delicious cake for my birthday every year. (up to now) 3. Molly and Henry have visited us at Christmas for as long as I can remember. (up to now) |
20 Apr 2013
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zoemorosini
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I agree with MoodyMoody to a point. #1 is definitely simple past, as an anniversary is a brief, finite moment on the calendar. However, I think #2 could use present perfect if, for example, you are receiving a guest and bringing them in to show them the cake your grandmother just made you. Grandmother might even be there to take praise. In #3, you can use both, depending on what you are trying to communicate. If you use simple past, you are referring to a specific, single, past Christmas visit. On the other hand, if someone claims "Molly and Henry never visit anyone at Christmas," you would use the present perfect to disagree, because you are not referring to a specific past visit, just that they visited in a non-specific past time, or several times in the past (though you don �t mention the dates).
Hope this helps!!! |
20 Apr 2013
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