Learn English 100% free...Get 1 free lesson per week // Add a new lesson
Log in!

Click here to log in
New account
Millions of accounts created on our sites.
JOIN our free club and learn English now!



  • Home
  • Print
  • Guestbook
  • Report a bug




  • Get a free English lesson every week!
    Click here!





    Partners:
    - Our other sites
       


    Possible connection/tenses

    Forum > English only || Bottom

    [POST A NEW REPLY] [Subscribe to this topic]


    Possible connection/tenses
    Message from tle posted on 15-02-2012 at 16:25:03 (D | E | F)
    Dear all,

    I am having some doubts about the possible consolidation of tense aspect.
    I found the way of authors used in the book is as below : what do you mean?

    - I am eating when she arrive ( present progressive + simple present)
    - I have been eating 15 minutes when she she arrives ( perfect progressive + simple present)
    above 2 examples are proving the 1st action is interrupted by other action,

    - I have eaten when she arrives ( present perfect + simple present)
    This example the 1st action finished and 2nd action exit after.

    How about the below case, can it be possible to consolidate ?
    A1- I have been staying at home 2 hours.
    A2- My sister have finished the 2 homeworks.

    B1- I am staying at home 2 house.
    B1- My sister have been studying 2 hours.

    C1- I am staying at home today.
    C2- my sister have finished her homework.

    look like I over-wonder, but I am urged to know whether it is possible/impossible to us.
    all of answer would be highly appreciated.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 15-02-2012 19:41



    Re: Possible connection/tenses from violet91, posted on 15-02-2012 at 19:21:30 (D | E)
    Hello tle,

    I am not quite sure I understand the purpose of your exercise.
    Where do you get those examples from ? Authors, you said ?
    The tenses themselves look odd, I am afraid.

    Don't you think you have to work with : the past continuous and simple past . ( an action in its progress suddenly interrupted ? )

    Look ! I was sitting on a bench , quiet and happy, when Dracula came along , sat down too and looked at my throat in a weird way.

    I am eating when she arrive ( present progressive + simple present) ( 3rd person sg 's'. (in the past would be so much better.)
    - I have been eating for 15 minutes when she she arrives ( perfect progressive + simple present)( ok grammatically , if you state it is a daily habit)

    above ( below) 2 examples are proving prove the 1st action is interrupted by another action,


    - I have eaten when she arrives ( present perfect + simple present)would sound better = I have finished lunch or dinner ( finished eating), when she arrives.

    This example the 1st action finished and 2nd action exit after.

    How about the below case, can it be possible to consolidate ?


    A1- I have been staying at home for 2 hours. ok
    A2- My sister have( 3rd sg ) finished the (posses.adj.feminine better)2 homeworks.- uncountable .Either her homework or her two exercises.

    B1- I am staying at home (for)2 house.( change your word , please - read...!)
    B1- My sister have (3rd sg.) been studying for 2 hours.( this is probably the word you wanted to write on B1)

    C1- I am staying at home today.OK
    C2- my sister have( again)finished her homework.

    What you call progressive present is now called ' BE+- ING form = continuous present , used for something being done at the moment.

    I hope I have been ( tense as a result for you) helpful to you. See you .


    See, lucile . This is it !

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 15-02-2012 19:45




    Re: Possible connection/tenses from braj697, posted on 16-02-2012 at 07:55:27 (D | E)
    Hello tle,

    Could you please tell me... where did you get these sentences? who is the author? Which book?
    First you have to learn "present simple" and "present perfect" tense.
    Unless Otherwise our suggestions won't help you.

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 16-02-2012 14:01



    Re: Possible connection/tenses from tle, posted on 17-02-2012 at 05:28:28 (D | E)
    Hello Braj697,

    The book I have read wrote about the connection of tense, which the possibility of connection between tense to tense as below,
    - I have finished eating ( present perfect which event have exited before now, is it possible if I would like to add one more sentence behind the first sentence ""I have finished eating when she comes" ?

    - I have been reading book for 2hours when she comes. (perfect progressive, the progress of reading book finished when another action exits) it is present prefect progressive + present simple.

    - My sister comes home while I am sleeping ( present progressive, which the sleeping event has exited in past, is in progress at the present time and still continuous after "My sister comes") it is present progressive + present simple.

    Above 3 examples I had found in Understanding and using English grammar of Betty Chrampfer. By the time I was reading those conceptional lessons I started having a doubts about other point as bellow:

    Can the bellow tenses connect each other?
    -I am reading book (Present Progressive) and my sister has been finishing housework about 2hours already (perfect progressive).
    If I use that is it correct?


    -------------------
    Edited by tle on 18-02-2012 01:27





    Re: Possible connection/tenses from violet91, posted on 17-02-2012 at 12:52:10 (D | E)
    Hello tle ,

    As I thought , you are working with a grammar book , not a novel or something written by a literature author .
    Mind : below ( right preposition for underneath ; not to confuse with " bellows" something you blow air with on a fire in a fire-place ). Good too to see you insert things you learn through the site .

    - your sentences are correct as long as you express usual actions with an everyday frequency .
    As for the last one , " I am reading a book while my sister has been finishing ( doing) the housework for about 2 hours " is all right . Lucky you ! Poor her !

    Have a nice day in your far away country ! See you .



    Re: Possible connection/tenses from tle, posted on 18-02-2012 at 01:40:20 (D | E)
    Hi Violet91,

    Can you give me a clear reason why all my sentences are correct unless it proves the frequent action?
    the tenses used to express the habits, frequently, usually existing events is simple present, but simple present also can be used to combine with other tenses to emphasise the interruption of the 2nd event as well.

    I am quite not clear about not sure about your explanation, please on the light!

    -------------------
    Edited by lucile83 on 18-02-2012 10:43



    Re: Possible connection/tenses from notrepere, posted on 18-02-2012 at 05:45:37 (D | E)
    Hello I am going to have to disagree with Violet a bit.

    You cannot use the present perfect with specific time markers. A good clue is the word "when".

    I have written a book when I lived in Japan. Incorrect
    I have written a book. OK
    I wrote a book when I lived in Japan. OK
    Shakespeare has written 37 plays. OK


    - I have finished eating ( present perfect which event have existed before now, is it possible if I would like to add one more sentence behind the first sentence ""I have finished eating when she comes" ?

    No, you can't say this. You'd say:
    I will have finished eating by the time she comes. (The first action is not complete.)
    I had finished eating before she arrived. (Both actions are complete)


    - I have been reading (a/this) book for 2 hours when she comes. (perfect progressive, the progress of reading book finished when another action exits) it is present prefect progressive + present simple.

    No, you can't say this either for the same reason.
    I had been reading a book for two hours when she arrived. (She has already arrived.)
    I will have been reading this book for two hours by the time she arrives. (She hasn't arrived yet.)



    - My sister comes home while I am sleeping

    A habitual action. OK.


    -I am reading book (Present Progressive) and my sister has been finishing housework about 2hours already (perfect progressive).
    No, because you can't finish something for two hours!
    You use the word "already" which makes the assumption that it occurred longer than the other action:
    My sister had been doing housework for two hours already by the time I started reading my book.
    If the actions are parallel, occurring at the same time, you'd say:
    While my sister was doing housework, I was reading a book.

    -------------------
    Edited by notrepere on 18-02-2012 17:52





    Re: Possible connection/tenses from tle, posted on 24-02-2012 at 01:18:43 (D | E)
    Hello Notrepere,

    Thanks your helpful explanation, will catch more time to study about it.





    [POST A NEW REPLY] [Subscribe to this topic]


    Forum > English only