Sunday, November 25, 2012

grammar - Is it okay to use Present Perfect and Past Simple inside the same sentence?



Is it okay to describe two actions, one in Present Perfect and one in the Past Simple, inside the same sentence and with the same time indicator?



For example:





During this summer she has become very sensitive and was often seen
crying.




The time indicator here is: During this summer



The first action is: has become sensitive




The second action is: was seen crying



EDIT:



or should I stick to using Present Perfect for both actions?:




During this summer she has become very sensitive and has often been seen
crying.




Answer



Yes, it is perfectly idiomatic since the perfect and the past tenses relate to different time conditions. The different time conditions is highlighted with a present simple perfect with has become.



Despite being the same summer period, it may be a different period within that summer period. For example it may be the start of the summer period where "she has become sensitive" and you might have noticed this change towards the end of "...this summer...", different periods under the same summer period.






Let's break down the sentence:





During this summer...




indicates the summer that has just past or that they are currently in,




...she has become very sensitive...




This indicates during the course of the summer she has become noticeably more sensitive, as has become is present perfect simple - which indicates that the consequences of past actions are important in the present.





...and was often seen crying.




and consequently her sensitivity has resulted to her crying often.


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