Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Using Present Perfect for past experiences



Today I saw this quote from Michael Jordan, and the usage of Present Perfect in all of his past failed experiences got my attention:



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I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.





I cannot see why is it being used here; any help regarding its use?


Answer



The usage of the Present Perfect is perfectly good here.



Had it been the alternative Past Simple that some people might prefer:



"I missed... I lost... I was trusted and missed... I failed..."



Then all the past experiences being mentioned would be totally detached from where MJ was at the time of speaking. In short, all his past experiences would hold little relevance to where he's gotten.




On the other hand, as it appears in the quote:



"I've missed... I've lost... I've been trusted and missed... I've failed..."



Everything connects, affects, and even builds up to the point when he says: "This is why I succeed."



P.S. This would be true whether MJ was still playing or already retired at the time of the quote. In the last sentence, he could be talking about his success specifically in basketball, a recently fulfilled career, or life in general


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