@WBYeats,
Quote:For ''She has gone away a long time ago'', must we use WENT AWAY to replace HAS GONE AWAY? because I thought 'a long time ago' forbids the present perfect~
I see now, WB. My example wasn't an attempt to correct the example you gave. It was simply another example.
As I've previously mentioned/As I've mentioned in a previous post
Of the two choices, above, in bold, native speakers would likely choose the former because 'previously' is a more obscure past time adjunct. As I've mentioned, the present perfect still remains a structure that is rarely collocated with specific past time adjuncts.
Of course, the present perfect is often used with the more obscure past time adjuncts such as
previously, recently, just, ... .
Quote:
2 finished-time words: present perfect not used
We do not often use the PP with words that refer to a completely finished period of time, like yesterday, last week, then, when, three years ago, in 1970. This is because the PP focuses on the present, and words like these focus on the past, so they contradict each other.
Practical English Usage -3rd edition: Michael Swan; Section 456
Notice the words "not often". That denotes that it does happen but as
I have mentioned before, the reluctance of native speakers to mix them is strong.
Quote:
5 present perfect with past time expressions
Grammars usually say that the PP cannot be used together with expressions of finished time ... . In fact, such structures are unusual but not impossible (though learners should avoid them). They often occur in brief news items, where space is limited and there is pressure to announce the news and give the details in the same clause.
A 24-year -old soldier has been killed in a road accident last night.
Ibid Section457.5
Below is an example from the former UK PM and current war criminal, Tony Blair.
Quote:
THE JAPAN TIMES • TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2005
Blair denies he made deal with Brown over job
...
Asked whether he had assured Brown that he will step down, then changed his mind, Blair replied: "I've dealt with this six months ago. I said then you don't do deals over jobs like this. You don't."
