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perfect tense and indirect questions

 
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dido4



Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 277

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:19 am    Post subject: perfect tense and indirect questions Reply with quote

1. I have met Mary four times.

Q:Is it right to add for here?
-->I have met Mary for four times.

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2. I met Mary two days ago.

Q:Can we use perfect tense?
-->I have met Mary two days ago.

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3. I'd like to know which is Mary's favorie color.

Q:Can we rewrite the sentesce above like the follwing.
-->I'd like to know which color is Mary's favorite.
-->I'd like to know which Mary's favorie color is.

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4.Q: Are the sentences right? If not, how to rewrite?
--> I have met him four times until now.
-->I have met him four times so far
-->Until now, I have met him four times.
-->So far, I have met him four times.

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5. Q: Is this right?
He has gone to Thailand two days ago.

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6. Ask Jenny if/whether the fridge is John's (or not).
Q: When to add or not at the end?
(Some books says if you use if, you can not add or not, and if you use whether you can add or not or don't have to.)

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7.Which is right? What is the difference?
a.I remember I met her on the balcony before.
b.I remember I have met her on the balcony before.
c.I remembered I met her on the balcony before.
d.I remembered I have met her on the balcony before.
e.I have remembered I have met her on the balcony before.
f.I have remembered I met her on the balcony before.

Thank you very much
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cgage2



Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 192
Location: US

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1. Do not add "for"
2. "I met" is correct
3. The first sentence is correct
("What is mary's favorite color?" is more simple and direct. However, your sentence could be appropriate if you were looking at a group of several colors and trying to determine which one of them was her favorite color.
4. Use #2 or #4
5. He went to Thailand...
6. Ask Jenny if the fridge is John's?
Ask Jenny whether the fridge is John's or not?
(I never heard a rule about this. However, I know what sounds right.)
7. This is a complicated question. I am providing you with some links to explain the difference of past tenses.
Basically, the choice depends on the context.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_tense
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_perfect_tense
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Lorikeet



Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 1877
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cgage2 wrote:

6. Ask Jenny if the fridge is John's?
Ask Jenny whether the fridge is John's or not?
(I never heard a rule about this. However, I know what sounds right.)


I don't know why you have question marks at the end of your examples, but these are all acceptable to me:

Ask Jenny if the fridge is John's.
Ask Jenny whether the fridge is John's.
Ask Jenny whether or not the fridge is John's.
Ask Jenny if the fridge is John's or not.
Ask Jenny whether the fridge is John's or not.

Note: We don't say, "Ask Jenny if or not the fridge is John's."


Last edited by Lorikeet on Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:00 am; edited 1 time in total
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cgage2



Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 192
Location: US

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry. Careless error.
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