this is the only time

Forums: English, Grammar, Esl
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Siuation:

A friend of mine has just asked me a question, which question is very awkward, and which I do not want to answer. What tense is correct/wrong?:

1. - I hope this is the only time you asked/have asked/are asking such a question.

2. In grammar books we often find this:

-This is the first/second etc. time you HAVE DONE sth

but do native speakers not think Britons/Americans would write/say?:

-It/this marks the first time such action is being taken...
-It was his first time to do...
-This is the first time he suggests...

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 2 • Views: 802 • Replies: 21

No top replies

@WBYeats,

I hope this is the only time you'll ask such a question.

1 Reply

@dalehileman,

Thank you~

But isn't the act of asking already in the past?

1 Reply

@WBYeats,

Quote:

I hope this is the only time you asked/have asked/are asking such a question.

I hope this is the only time you ask me a question.

0 Replies

@WBYeats,

Quote:

But isn't the act of asking already in the past?

Technically yes

0 Replies

@WBYeats,

Quote:

A friend of mine has just asked me a question (,) which question is very awkward(,)and which I do not want to answer. What tense is correct/wrong?:

I hope this is the only time you asked/have asked such a question.

These two don't address the scenario you have described, WB. They could be used by the respondent if they held the dismissive meaning inherent in,

I hope this is the only time you ever asked/have ever asked such a dumb/stupid question.

The present perfect aspect would be the more likely of the two.

??I hope this is the only time you are asking such a question.

I can't envision a situation where this would work atall.

0 Replies

Thank you~

How about the second question? Is there any particular reason that HAVE DONE rather than DOES/DID etc should be used? If native speakers use it while grammar writers say it should not, then it's not mine to decide whether it is right/wrong.

2 Replies

@WBYeats,

I really have no idea what you are driving at, WB.

What grammar writers? What do they say?

1 Reply

@JTT,

um...

2. In grammar books we often find this:

-This is the first/second etc. time you HAVE DONE sth

but do native speakers not think Britons/Americans would write/say?:

-It/this marks the first time such action is being taken...
-It was his first time to do...
-This is the first time he suggests...

2 Replies

@WBYeats,

Umm, you haven't described what these mysterious grammar writers say is wrong.

1 Reply

@JTT,

-It/this marks the first time such action is being taken...
-It was his first time to do...
-This is the first time he suggests...
=============================

The tenses used by Britons/Americans do not comply with what grammarians prescribe: the perfect tense/aspect. If native speakers use these tenses, then how come they are wrong?

1 Reply

@WBYeats,

First, they are not wrong. Second, I wasn't aware that grammarians prescribed/prohibited such collocations.

Do you have a cite, a book that illustrates this?

1 Reply

@JTT,

Do you not think this is what we often find in grammar books?:

-This is the first time/second time etc, we HAVE DONE sth...
-... was..............................................,we HAD DONE sth...

1 Reply

@WBYeats,

I know and understand that, WB. You still haven't shown me the part where some grammarians say the other examples are wrong.

CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT

0 Replies

@WBYeats,

WBYeats wrote:

um...

2. In grammar books we often find this:

-This is the first/second etc. time you HAVE DONE sth

but do native speakers not think Britons/Americans would write/say?:

-It/this marks the first time such action is being taken...
-It was his first time to do...
-This is the first time he suggests...

No. If you're trying to reiterate what is being said by that first formation (present indicative) then your first alternative would be, "it/this marks the first time such action has been taken."

The second would be, "it was the first time he has done..."

The third would be, "this is the first time he has suggested..."

2 Replies

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

No. If you're trying to reiterate what is being said by that first formation (present indicative) then your first alternative would be, "it/this marks the first time such action has been taken."

He is not looking for a reiteration, Infra, he is trying to find out how the others fit pragmatically in English. He sees what appears to him to be a contradiction.

0 Replies

@InfraBlue,

By ALTERNATIVE; you agree the original 3 sentences are all correct?

1 Reply

@WBYeats,

WBYeats wrote:

By ALTERNATIVE; you agree the original 3 sentences are all correct?

No. That's why I corrected them for you.

1 Reply

@WBYeats,

Quote:

If native speakers use it while grammar writers say it should not, then it's not mine to decide whether it is right/wrong.

Can you quote your source, any source, WB, where "grammar writers say it should not"?

0 Replies

@InfraBlue,

Quote:

WBYeats wrote:

By ALTERNATIVE; you agree the original 3 sentences are all correct?

Quote:

Infra: No. That's why I corrected them for you.

You didn't correct them at all, Infra. By your own description, you reiterated them.

Infra: "No. If you're trying to reiterate what is being said by that first formation (present indicative) then your first alternative would be, 'it/this marks the first time such action has been taken.'"

You even described the first one as the present indicative.

1 Reply

this is the only time

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know