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Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2007Please help with tenses
I have a friend in another country. He visits my blog pretty often. I add new entries to my blog almost everyday, and he thinks I have the time to blog because I'm not married. So one day my friend said that he would know that I (got? would get? had got?) married when I (stopped? would stop?) blogging. I just can't figure out how to use tenses in this situation. Thanks for any help. > I have a friend in another country. He visits my blog pretty often. I > add new entries to my blog almost everyday, and he thinks I have the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I just can't figure out how to use tenses in this situation. Thanks > for any help. Two variants -- one British, one American: British: had got ... stopped American: had gotten ... stopped  SignatureSkitt (American) No NESsie, but oh, so close ... >> I have a friend in another country. He visits my blog pretty often. I >> add new entries to my blog almost everyday, and he thinks I have the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > British: had got ... stopped > American: had gotten ... stopped I agree about the usages, but it's worth noting for the OP that the tenses are the same in both examples. The only difference is that "got" is (almost invariably) used as the past participle (as well as the simple past) in British usage, while US use for the participle is "gotten", which in British usage would be considered obsolete - though understood. Regards Jonathan [context: thank you] >> So one day my friend said that he would know that I (got? would >> get? had got?) married when I (stopped? would stop?) blogging. >> I just can't figure out how to use tenses in this situation. Thanks >> for any help. > Two variants -- one British, one American: > British: had got ... stopped > American: had gotten ... stopped Yes. What your friend said was, "I will know that you have got married when you stop blogging." Because you are reporting speech in the past (My friend said that...), you move each verb form one step into the past too: "will know" becomes "would know", "have got" becomes "had got", and "stop" becomes "stopped". "My friend said (that) he would know (that) I had got married when I stopped blogging." I am Canadian and, like Skitt, I speak North American English: I would say "gotten" in this context too. It may an advantage for someone who is not tied to one dialect area to stick to "got", though, because it can be used in all contexts; in our dialects, both forms are used, but in different contexts. > [context: thank you] > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > (that) he would know (that) I had got married when I stopped > blogging." Thank you all. My problem with "I will know that you have got married when you stop blogging" was using "have got married" for something that may or may not happen in the future, so I wanted to see how native speakers felt about it. > I am Canadian and, like Skitt, I speak North American English: I would > say "gotten" in this context too. It may an advantage for someone who > is not tied to one dialect area to stick to "got", though, because it > can be used in all contexts; in our dialects, both forms are used, but > in different contexts. Would you explain a bit more on these different contexts? [have got, have gotten] >> I am Canadian and, like Skitt, I speak North American English: I >> would say "gotten" in this context too. It may an advantage for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Would you explain a bit more on these different contexts? Generally speaking, North Americans, like all English speakers, use "have got" when they mean "have" or "possess". Speakers of British English and, I believe, the other former colonies except for Canada also use "have got" to mean "have received" or "have obtained". North Americans use "have gotten" in those contexts. I sent someone an e-mail this morning, asking if they had "gotten" my Christmas card, because it had a gift in it that I wanted to arrive in time for Christmas. As I typed, it occurred to me that "Have you gotten my card?" meant, "Have you received one from me?" but "Have you got my card?" would have meant, "Do you have one for me?". For us, both North Americans, the difference in that context would affect not only the meaning of the verb but, in consequence, the meaning of "my". Complications, eh? And maybe unnecessary ones. >[have got, have gotten] > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >only the meaning of the verb but, in consequence, the meaning of "my". >Complications, eh? And maybe unnecessary ones. Did you get my card? Nah, made no sense to me. Did you get my joke? Ditto. Did you get it? Yep, pure chocolate all the way through -- really delicious! No, idiot, the joke! david [and in Haiti that's conjugated in the focative] > Did you get my card? > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > No, idiot, the joke! Hello, hello, do you receive me? CDB filted: >[and in Haiti that's conjugated in the focative] > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >Hello, hello, do you receive me? "Hello?...are you dere?...I vant you should send a carPENter to mend the damaged shutter"....r SignatureAaahhh!!! Sugarplums!!! They're everywhere!!! Get 'em off me, get 'em off!!! AAAHHH!!! |
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