simple past/present perfect??
- Thread starter Symrna
- Start date
Did you finish your homework is correct instead of Did you finshed your homework.
The latter is correct. Have you finished your homework?
1- Did you finished your homework? As far as I know - is incorrect and cannot be used in any cases.
Sorry I cannot explain why it is wrong in gramaaticall terms.
Correct ways of saying it - Did you finish your homework?
Have you finished your homework?
Is your homework finished ?
The latter is correct. Have you finished your homework?
1- Did you finished your homework? As far as I know - is incorrect and cannot be used in any cases.
Sorry I cannot explain why it is wrong in gramaaticall terms.
Correct ways of saying it - Did you finish your homework?
Have you finished your homework?
Is your homework finished ?
Well on gramatical terms I do not know, but on basic terms - Did you... is more powerful and forcefull as in - DID you DO that?!??!?!?
Have you... is more polite ....although with the right intonation it sounds so HAVE YOU finished your homework!?!?!?
HOPE that HELPS!
Have you... is more polite ....although with the right intonation it sounds so HAVE YOU finished your homework!?!?!?
HOPE that HELPS!Symrna said:
I don't normally 'do' the grammar threads here but a PM asked me to look in on this one.
I don't see a difference in these two. They both appear to be seeking the same answer and to allow for no quibbling. They are both "yes" or "no" answers. I couldn't imagine answering "yes" to one and "no" to the other.
I'm well aware that I'm possibly leaving myself open to correction by grammarians. I no longer know why I express myself as I do, I've forgotten all the rules I was taught as a child. All I can say is that "it feels right".
"Have you"- is if you have just finished your HW
"Did you" - if you indicated time let's say
" Did you finished your HW yesterday?"
you have an excat time
But in daily basis there is no difference.
In addition, it is ok if you use "did" instead of " have "
. However,it is not if you use " have" instead of " did"
Like here
" Have you finished your HW yesterday?" - this is worng
"Did you finish your HW yesterday?" - this is correct
"Did you" - if you indicated time let's say
" Did you finished your HW yesterday?"
you have an excat time
But in daily basis there is no difference.
In addition, it is ok if you use "did" instead of " have "
. However,it is not if you use " have" instead of " did"
Like here
" Have you finished your HW yesterday?" - this is worng
"Did you finish your HW yesterday?" - this is correct
These phrases mean the same thing but "Have you finished" is heard more in BE; "Did you finish" in AE. http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa110698.htm
Symrna said:1-Did you finish your homework?
2-Have you finished your homework
What is the diffrence between the two sentences? In what cases can either be used?
Thanks in advance
At least for British English speakers there is an important difference in nuance.
1. 'Did you finish your homework' is a question about the past.
2. 'Have you finished your homework is a question about the present. That is why the tense is called 'present perfect'. An important element of the answer is whether your homework is finished NOW.
So if you finished your homework, but since then the dog ate it,
1. The answer to question 1 is yes, but
2. The answer to question 2 is more equivocal. 'Yes' would be misleading.
I agree with teddy. I'd like to add my tiny opinion that "past tense" stresses emphasis on action of a specific past time whereas "present perfect" signifies the completion of the action, but it doesn't tell you when it's finished rather it's finished/done as of NOW, as mentioned by teddy.
Mom: Did you do your homework before watching TV tonight?
Me: Oh yeah, I did.
Mom: Have you finished it by now?
Me: ....Well...nope, not yet!
Mom: Did you do your homework before watching TV tonight?
Me: Oh yeah, I did.
Mom: Have you finished it by now?
Me: ....Well...nope, not yet!
It seems to me that the perfect-simple past difference is frequently not made in the us, favouring the simple past and I see this tendency growing over here too. I think the clearest example of this is a sentence which contains "just" which would seem to be the clearest need for a perfect, but is often put as a simple past "I just told you that".
So in that case there can be no difference between the two, and I think people are increasingly unconcerned by the difference it represents.
So in that case there can be no difference between the two, and I think people are increasingly unconcerned by the difference it represents.