1.Tom was the first person who read my novel.=2.Tom was the first person to read my novel.(from the book)- it means that in the 1st sentence verb: read is in the Simple Present?
if in the 1.sentence verb: read is in the Simple Past, shouldn’t it be in sentence 2.=
Tom was the first person to have read the novel.?
Thank you very much…
1.Tom was the first person who read my novel.=2.Tom was the first person to read my novel. it means that in the 1st sentence verb: read is in the Simple Present?-- No, it is simple past. Simple present would be ‘who reads’
if in the 1.sentence verb: read is in the Simple Past, shouldn’t it be in sentence 2.=
Tom was the first person to have read the novel.?-- Both are OK.
Thank you Mr Micawber, if both are ok, what is the difference between them?:
1.Tom was the first person to have read the novel.
2.Tom was the first person to read the novel.
Thanks again…
There is no difference in intent, since ‘was’ defines the time and ‘to read’ (in #2) carries no time marker.
Dear Sir, please tell me - do you agree with it, according to a book:
1.She was to have done the shopping.=but she didn’t do it.
2.She was to do the shopping.=and probably/surely she did.
Many thanks…
The book is finding neat differences that do not exist unless further context indicates those meanings. As they stand:
1.She was to have done the shopping.= The speaker does not know whether she did it.
2.She was to do the shopping.= The speaker does not know whether she did it.
Thank You.
0.Ann told me that she went through hell during her divorce. - it means that:
#2 is not a useful form (s/b ‘I’m going through…’), but anyway, #0 means #1.
Many thanks, please tell me what does ‘‘s/b’’ mean, =sb=somebody?
After it, have a rest, relax from me ;-]
s/b = should be.
More than relax – it’s 11 PM in Yokohama, bedtime!
Goodnight, Mrs Calabash, wherever you are…
Dear Teacher:
What about the sequence of tenses regarding 0.sentence:
0.Ann told me that she went through hell during her divorce. - it means that:
I think if Ann said as it is in 1.sentence, so we can say:
0a. Ann told me that she had gone through hell during her divorce. (went -Past Simple changes to :had gone-Past Percfect)
So both 0. and 0a sentences are acceptable, why 0.sentence is ok without the sequence of tenses?
Good night and sweet dreams!
They are both OK because the nature of the actions makes it clear that the divorce was completed before the telling. If it had not been completed, then it would regress from what I gave you in my earlier post: ‘Ann told me that she was going through hell during her divorce.’