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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > A Bit Confused on Sunday Evening
A Bit Confused on Sunday Evening
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ohermann
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A Bit Confused on Sunday Evening
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Hello dear colleagues, 
I�m helping some students to prepare them for a university entrance test. We came across this question in one of the old tests:
He looks as if he ............. that before.
a) saw not b) didn�t see c) hadn�t seen d) hasn�t seen
There is no other context - just only this sentence. According to the answer key to this test, answer C is correct.  But I do not agree with that. I would say either answer B or D is correct or possible in this sentece. Could you help me to figure it out, please? I want to be 100% sure who is right - me or the answer key. Help is appreciated from both sides - native or non-native speakers  . Thanks in advance for your replies.
Oto |
18 Mar 2012
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cunliffe
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Hi there. You are right - d) �hasn �t seen � is the right answer. It �s to do with tense sequence. Had it been � he looked as if... � then the answer would be c. |
18 Mar 2012
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ascincoquinas
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Dear Oto!
I believe answer c) is correct.
Look at the explanation:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/past-perfect-simple
Use of Past Perfect- action taking place before a certain time in the past
(putting emphasis only on the fact, not the duration)
In your example it is given emphasis to the fact that he had never seen something before that present situation.
Anyway, I think it �s best to wait for our native speaker colleagues.
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18 Mar 2012
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yanogator
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Since it �s before a present action, not a past action, I agree that "hasn �t" is the correct choice. Bruce |
18 Mar 2012
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ohermann
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OK. I hope I understand grammar tenses. Why I do not agree with answer C is the fact that the sentence starts with present tense "He looks as if...." and without context why should anyone use past perfect and not past simple here. "Hadn�t seen" would be alright if the sentece started with "He looked as if..." (as cunliffe also suggested). So when I imagine the real discussion I can�t help but use only answer D. So, dear native speakers, help not only me at the moment. |
18 Mar 2012
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foreign
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It �s very difficult to say what is correct without the context, because with structures such as as if / as though you decide what tense to use after them with the help of the context. So with your sentence past perfect can be used if we have in mind an unreal past action. The context in this situation would be: he did see it before but but he �s acting otherwise. |
18 Mar 2012
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sarrah mohammed
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I think this sentence doesn �t need a context because we have the word "as if " and this form expresses unreal action. Example : He walks as if he were a king. and if you notice the form of the verb to be with �he � and the use of the past. So I think the correct answer is �d � because we have the first verb �look � in the present tense. In addition you have the word �before �. It refers to the past. |
18 Mar 2012
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teacherica5
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cunliffe gave you the best explanation. I also agree that "d" is the right answer.
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18 Mar 2012
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ascincoquinas
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Hi there!
Take a look here,please:
hope this helps
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18 Mar 2012
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douglas
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D is the correct answer. The action has not come to an end (he still hasn �t seen that) therefore it requires a perfect tense. Because the sentence starts with the present (simple present) you should stay in the present (present perfect).
EDIT: Having given it more thought, I now realize it is possible to consider C a correct answer.
The sentence is referring to him a the present time ("he looks as if"). If he has just seen the thing in question (for example someone just did a double back flip off of the diving board). Up until a moment ago he had never seen someone do this (he just saw it for the first time in his life). Therefore the look on his face (perhaps a look of astonishment because he thought it was impossible to do a double back flip off of the diving board) reveals that he is amazed that someone could perform such a feat.
His face shows astonishment because (prior to that moment) he had never seen someone do perfom the feat. --it works (I hate to admit it, but I actually now think that C is truly the only correct answer (even though it does sound awkward.)
Douglas |
19 Mar 2012
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But unluckily, students are supposed to mark the corect answer, not the wrong one. 
So, thanks all for your effort to shed light upon the confusing dark test question. 