Request to correct the sentences

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi ,

Can you confirm which of the above 2 sentences are correct and would like to know why it is correct?

Regards,
William

2

Without context you don’t need those tenses. This would be correct:
I patched those servers on Feb 20 2015.

Within specific contexts the first ‘I had’ is possible, but the 2nd ‘I have’ is highly unlikely with ‘on Feb 20 2015’.

3

This is a very common error committed by foreign users of English, especially here.

William may please note that we do not use the ‘had tense’ unless the context demands.

Some contexts in which we may use the ‘past perfect’ are:

  1. To refer to the ‘past in the past’ or the first/earlier of the two past activities.
    (When the police arrived, the miscreants had run away.)
  2. To report the ‘past simple’ and the ‘present perfect’ activities from a direct speech.
    (He said, ‘I saw her yesterday.’ > He said that he had seen her the day before.
    She said, ‘I have met him before.’ > She said that she had met him before.)
  3. To link what has taken place already to the subsequent in the course of a narrative.
    (The police arrived. They chased the suspects and apprehended some of them. But the main culprit had taken to his heels. So the police could not arrest him.)

To indicate a past activity with a definite time, just use the past simple.
(I received your email yesterday. They elected him president last year.)

‘Present Perfect’ tense construction is unacceptable when the time adverbial is definite.
(I have received your email yesterday. They have elected him president last year.)

4

Hi Beeesneees /Anglophile,

Firstly, I would like to say thanks for explaining the use of context.
I won’t ask you the same question again and again but want to clarify the below one.

Can we not say?
‘Those servers were patched on Feb 20 2015’?

Can you also explain why these won’t come in place of those?

Is this not a correct sentence?

Regards,
William

5

Can we not say?

Of course, you can.

Can you also explain why these won’t come in place of those?

Is this not a correct sentence? It is correct.

But, usually, reporting is treated as being made mostly remote. Then words like ‘this’, ‘these’ and ‘here’ would change into ‘that’, ‘those’ and ‘there’ respectively.

If, however, you make the statement from the place where the servers are installed, you can say so (these) pointing to the servers.

6

Hi Anglophile,

Thanks for correcting me and advise.

Regards,
William