A concept of time
Graham Thurgood wrote:
<<The key to even a preliminary understanding however lies in recognizing that it is the speaker's intention to characterize an event as relevant to the present, not the situation itself, that is primarily what is being charcterized by the use of the present perfect tense.>>
My reply:
With respect, I beg to differ. If the tense is used because of the speaker's intention, we don't need to use the difficult tense at all, or it will not trouble so many teachers and students. If there is no common agreement, how can we use it to communicate?
Notably, with Since, we use Present Perfect:
Ex: He has worked here since April.
This use of Present Perfect is agreed by most grammars. Will you use another tense, because of your own intention?
You have linked "the key" to the speaker's intention, but I now search the web page:
http://www.csuchico.edu/~gt18/232/PresPerfInfoGap.html
There is no mention of any "intention". So the speaker's intention is not the key, according to the web page.
Would you give examples to explain how to exercise the speaker's intention?
Graham Thurgood wrote:
<<Interestingly, many, many non-native speakers of English use other tenses to describe these same tenses.>>
My reply:
Would you give example to prove the point?
I am non-native speaker and here is my simplicity:
-- Simple Past expresses past time.
-- Present Perfect expresses perfect time.
-- Simple Present expresses present time.
"One more word is one more mistake" – this is my promise.
May I ask where is the loophole?
Graham Thurgood wrote:
<<The use of other tenses loses very little aside from the explicit connection of the past event to the present time and even here the mere mention of a past event implicitly implies a present connection, or why would it even be mentioned?>>
My reply:
If what you say is of most importance, did you mention it at all?
Graham Thurgood wrote:
<<Interestingly, many, many non-native speakers of English use other tenses to describe these same tenses.>>
My reply:
With quoted evidences, I have pointed out that grammars use the definition of Simple Present to describe Present Perfect, so there is a difference from Simple Past.
But without evidence, how can you point out "many non-native speakers of English"? How do you know they are non-native speakers?
What do you mean by "other tenses"?
What do you mean by "these same tenses"?
How possibly one uses "other tenses to describe these same tenses"?
The whole thing is not interesting.
What is the tense a reporters uses to describe present happenings, but the tense is still valid tomorrow as the newspaper is published? Is there such a tense?
What is the tense a reporter uses to describe present happenings, but the tense is still valid tomorrow as the newspaper is published? Is there such a tense?
Some have suggested Simple Past. But the reason they gave is something like this: the reporter sees present things in a viewpoint of tomorrow, so in the eye of tomorrow, now is past.
I then asked: if so, why there is some Simple Present and Present Perfect used in newspapers?
May you have any idea?
The news says:
Iraqis weary of sectarian death squads and insurgent bombs nearly four years after the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein Voiced skepticism more troops would help. Bush MAKES his address in the White House at 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Thursday).
==
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070110/ts_nm/iraq_dc
What on earth is the use of Simple Present? Habitual action? Routine? Permanency? Repeated action? Or what?
At the time of this writing, ...
Publication synchronized tense.
(a guesstimate)
Come on, Geoff_One, Simple Present expresses present time, Simple Past expresses past time, and Present Perfect expresses Perfect Time. That's all.
"Bush MAKES his address in the White House at 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Thursday)." is present time. The reporter posted it instantly, at or around the time of address. It was such a big news that he had to report it at once. That is why he even specified the time -- present time [at 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Thursday)]. The hot news at that time was rather short. Later, he cancelled the sentence in news updates, because the White House address was over. Welcome to internet epoch -- you may see the news in real time.
Have you realized that you are more or less posting to yourself now?
<<Have you realized that you are more or less posting to yourself now?>>
Are you talking to me?
I thought I am the first who claims Present Perfect is for Perfect Time Span. I was wrong. It had been claimed by some other learners. Search for Perfect Time and you know. What a disappointment.