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ESL forum >
Ask for help > present perfect
present perfect
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tommy1996
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present perfect
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help me with theses sentence 1/It is 3 years since Mary and Peter got married .- > Mary and Peter.............. Whay is right? _> Mary and Peter have been married for 3 years Maru and Peter got married 3 years ago 2/ Is is 2 years since my father went to Italy _> My father ..................... What is right?: _> My father has gone to Italy for 2 years. _>My fathey hasn �t gone to Italy for 2 years. _> My father went to Italy 2 years ago. Thanks |
18 May 2018
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yanogator
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Hi, Tommy, For the first one, both are correct, and it depends on what you are talking about. The first one is about their current state, and their state for the last three years, while the second one is just a statement of fact (and they might no longer be married). For the second one, "My father went to Italy 2 years ago" is the only realistic choice. "My father has gone to Italy for two years" could mean that he takes an annual trip, or that he went to Italy two years ago and is still there now (although we wold more likely say "My father has been in Italy for two years" in that case). "My father hasn �t gone to Italy for 2 years" means that he used to travel there regularly, but that stopped (temporarily or permanently) two years ago. Bruce |
18 May 2018
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tommy1996
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what is the correct transformation for each case?thanks |
18 May 2018
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yanogator
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Mary and Peter have been married for three years. (The other option isn �t present perfect) My father has been in Italy for two years. Bruce |
18 May 2018
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ohermann
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Hi Bruce, I think in the second sentence the correct option is "My father hasn ´t gone to Italy for 2 years" or "My father went to Italy two years ago." as you stated in your first comment, i.e. My father was in Italy two years ago and hasn’t gone there ever since. Your option "My father has been in Italy for two years." means he is still there but I think we cannot assume that from the first given sentence. Or am I wrong?  |
19 May 2018
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yanogator
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Well, Oto, there are a few options for that one. We definitely can �t be sure whether he is in Italy now or not, but we can �t rule it out. Tommy is specifically looking for present perfect, so your first offering is also correct. So, mine assumes he is there now, and yours assumes that he didn �t stay when he went two years ago. One thing I will add, though, is that to make your assumption, we would more likely say, "It is two years since my father last went to Italy". Bruce |
19 May 2018
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ohermann
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Bruce, thanks for your clarification. With the word "last" we could be sure. Tommy, sorry for maybe a bit confusing discussion about the sentences. I must say I hate the test questions which have more options because the given sentence is not absolutely clear.
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19 May 2018
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cunliffe
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I would go for �My father hasn �t gone to Italy for two years. � There sounds to be some regret in it as in �My poor dad hasn �t been able to visit Italy for the last two years �.... I agree that a native speaker would be more likely to say, �hasn �t been. � I agree with Oto - crazy test! |
19 May 2018
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theone72
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Present Perfect is often contrasted to Past Simple in exercises and tests. That �s why I think we shouldn �t avoid the use of Past Simple here. To me the third sentence is the most straightforward way to put the situation in other words.
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23 May 2018
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