2 English language questions

@layman,

Quote:

perennialloner wrote:

Thank you for your reply. Im a little confused as to why the present progressive is an acceptable form for future actions if it's meant to convey an action going on in the present, not Friday.

Quote:

layman: The "am" part of"I'm teaching on Friday" is easily and readily interpreted as "will be" or "am going to be" by English speakers. They don't fret over precise rules of grammar, ya know?

It's odd that Dale is getting such a smack down for not giving good English advice but you all sit still for this ignorant reply from layman. Now I'm not giving layman a smack down for his ignorance is the same as Izzy's, ... .

The Present Progressive/Present Continuous are both commonly used for the future. It's called, unsurprisingly, "Present Progressive/Present Continuous for the Future".

It's used more often things that have become habitual or common or decided in one's existence.

I'm playing tennis come Friday. / She's going to Paris next week. / He's having a party for his birthday. [likely a near BD and a recently made decision]

1 Reply

@camlok,

Thank you. That explains a lot of my questions, though I still don't see why it's full name would be "...for the future" when it's often not used for future.

I'm playing soccer with my friend right now.

He's having a party in the basement. That's why it's so loud.

1 Reply

Hey, can somebody help me? I want to know the difference between the following sentences:

A "This car has cost me a lot"
B: "This car cost me a lot"

C: "His injuries have healed"
D "His injuries healed"

I know the tenses are different, but I want to know when to use them.

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@perennialloner,

Quote:

Thank you. That explains a lot of my questions, though I still don't see why it's full name would be "...for the future" when it's often not used for future.

You're welcome.

When it is used for the future it's used for the future, P, and we can easily tell because it is always marked with a future tag - next week, on Friday, in a month, ... .

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@saab,

Quote:

some of dalehileman´s grammar and English explanations I realize how little I understand.

Saab you hafta forgive me. I do it in the hope that followups might enlighten. In other words I welcome q's (questions). However I overdo and for that my apolos (apologies)

Gotta admit that last'n isn't very common but I need it so often, that....

Quote:

Is it a form of upper class written American?

Lower to be sure

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@layman,

Quote:

They don't fret over precise rules of grammar, ya know?

Indeed Saab we don't

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@izzythepush,

https://www.google.com/?client=safari&channel=mac_bm#channel=mac_bm&q=bollocks

Quote:

bunch of incoherent, confusing mush

roiling 'round in the bollocks

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ignore everything he writes

That's what I keep tellin'm

Quote:

he's not exactly compos mentis

At 86 you gotta forgive'm

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@saab,

Quote:

Hope you do not mind me answering you

Me Saab you can anytime

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@izzythepush,

Quote:

he's just nasty

Oh m God I know, it's terrible
But don't mean t'B

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ignore Dale

Yes do, I won't be hurt

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perverse pleasure in confusing people

Only someone taking perverse pleasure in the TAT would so interpret it

Just kiddi' Iz, we love ya

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if he stayed off the grammar threads but he won't have

I know, awful habit! But this is somewhat problematic. For one thing, certain subtle abbrs used by everyone seem acceptable

Oh Saab, are you familiar with the alliteration
When we do it accidentally sometimes we take credit for it

Note to Mgmt: You ought to have some special sort of ID for the EL]S so we know when to be more carefu;

1 Reply

@dalehileman,

I wasn't referring to you when I said 'he's just nasty' I was referring to an earlier exchange on a different thread.

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@izzythepush,

Quote:

I tell all people who speak English as a second language to ignore Dale.

You should have included "Izzy, sometimes Centrox, ... "

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Sorry.. I'm new to the forum, I don't think you saw my post.. I need some help with this:

I want to know the difference between the following sentences:

A "This car has cost me a lot"
B: "This car cost me a lot"

C: "His injuries have healed"
D "His injuries healed"

I know the tenses are different, but I want to know when to use them.

2 Replies

@soundtrack12,

Quote:

I want to know the difference between the following sentences:

A "This car has cost me a lot"
B: "This car cost me a lot"

C: "His injuries have healed"
D "His injuries healed"

I know the tenses are different, but I want to know when to use them.

The present perfect, in this usage, also denotes a finished action, hence it too is "past tense".

The present perfect, [has or have + PP] in this usage, means HOT TOPIC/A PAST ACTION THAT IS RELEVANT TO NOW/CURRENT RELEVANCE/MORE FORMAL/... .

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Could you explain to me how "His injuries have healed" RELEVANT to the present? when do I say it to someone? and when do I say "His injuries healed" to someone?

2 Replies

@soundtrack12,

It's present perfect tense.

If someone were to say "his injuries healed" -- that implies they healed some time ago, whether an hour ago or two years ago.

If someone were to say "his injuries have healed" the person is conveying that in this present moment he no longer has injuries. There's no implication of the time the injuries healed, just that right now he no longer has injuries.

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@soundtrack12,

Quote:

Could you explain to me how "His injuries have healed" RELEVANT to the present? when do I say it to someone? and when do I say "His injuries healed" to someone?

If, in a topic somebody says,

A: Joe is still in the hospital, he has a ways to go before he gets back to work.

B: Oh no, that's not true. His injuries have healed and he is fine, back at work, playing tennis again, ... .

The healing is done, but that past action has current relevance.

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@soundtrack12,

Quote:

A "This car has cost me a lot"
B: "This car cost me a lot"

In this situation, A could ALSO be a PP of continuation, in other words, the person is not talking about the single event of a purchase price, rather they are conveying the idea that the car has been an ongoing expense, requiring lots of repairs over time.

Similar to "This car has been costing me a lot".

The problem for second language learners is that there is not the rich context that life provides for these situations. This is VITAL. It is also why ESLs/EFLs can get such conflicting information from advisors at websites like this one. Without the full rich context, most "advisors" can't see the actual situation or each advisor is seeing a different context.

Language is full of nuance!!

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A further complication is this:

Speakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English, it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English. The two situations where this is especially likely are:

1. In sentences which talk about an action in the past that has an effect in the present:

American English (AmE) / British English (BrE)

Jenny feels ill. She ate too much. (AmE)
Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much. (BrE)
I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere? (AmE)
I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere? (BrE)

2. In sentences which contain the words already, just or yet:

American English / British English

A: Are they going to the show tonight?
B: No. They already saw it. (AmE)
A: Are they going to the show tonight?
B: No. They've already seen it. (BrE)
A: Is Samantha here?
B: No, she just left. (AmE)
A: Is Samantha here?
B: No, she's just left. (BrE)
A: Can I borrow your book?
B: No, I didn't read it yet. (AmE)
A: Can I borrow your book?
B: No, I haven't read it yet. (BrE)

1 Reply

@centrox,

An excellent addition, Centrox.

Let me just add that for AmE, CdE, AuE, ... the tendency is, I think, to be less formal, and it may, MAY point to this CURRENT RELEVANCE portion of the Present Perfect to be going into decline.

1 Reply

@camlok,

camlok wrote:

this CURRENT RELEVANCE portion of the Present Perfect to be going into decline.

It is in rude good health in British and Irish English, and in higher Au and NZ registers.

2 Replies

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