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Various questions

hirashin

Sempai
Donor
8 Apr 2004
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Dear native English speakers,
I have some questions. Would you help me?

1. Would both be used?
(a) The bookstore opened at nine every morning.
(b) The bookstore opens at nine every morning.

2. Would both be used?
(a) He was listening to music while he was driving.
(b) He was listening to music while he drove.

3. Which would be used?
(a) I buy books on the Internet once a week.
(b) I bought books on the Internet once a week.
(c) I am buying books on the Internet once a week.
(d) I was buying books on the Internet once a week.

4. Would all be used?
(a) The bus left at 7:40 every morning.
(b) The bus leaves at 7:40 every morning.
(c) The bus had left at 7:40 every morning.

5. Which would be used?
(a) I will drive to Osaka about this time tomorrow.
(b) I will have driven to Osaka about this time tomorrow.
(c) I will be driving to Osaka about this time tomorrow.

6. Would both be used?
(a) She lived in Canada until she turned fifteen.
(b) She had lived in Canada until she turned fifteen.

7. Would both be used?
(a) When I got up this morning, it rained.
(b) When I got up this morning, it was raining.

8. Would both be used?
(a) The children will be visiting the mayor tomorrow morning.
(b) The children will have visited the mayor tomorrow morning.
(c) The children will have visited the mayor by tomorrow morning.

9. Would all be used?
(a) Since she moved to Osaka five years have passed.
(b) For three years I have belonged to this tennis club.
(c) Since yesterday Peter has been thinking of this problem.

10. Would both be used?
(a) I knew that he will win first prize in the competition.
(b) I knew that he would win first prize in the competition.

11. Would all be used?
(a) The girl will be there many times.
(b) The girl has been there many times.
(c) The girl had been there many times.

12. Would both be used?
(a) Ken and Jenny had known each other since last year.
(b) Ken and Jenny have known each other since last year.

13. Would (a) and (b) have almost the same meaning?
(a) You may as well cancel the plan immediately.
(b) You may as well stop the plan immediately.

Thanks in advance.
Hirashin
 
1. Would both be used?
(a) The bookstore opened at nine every morning.
(b) The bookstore opens at nine every morning.
Yes. A refers to the past, B refers to the present.

2. Would both be used?
(a) He was listening to music while he was driving.
(b) He was listening to music while he drove.
I think so, yes. "While driving" is another possible version.

3. Which would be used?
(a) I buy books on the Internet once a week.
(b) I bought books on the Internet once a week.
(c) I am buying books on the Internet once a week.
(d) I was buying books on the Internet once a week.
A for present, D for past. B and C sound stilted to me.

4. Would all be used?
(a) The bus left at 7:40 every morning.
(b) The bus leaves at 7:40 every morning.
(c) The bus had left at 7:40 every morning.
Yes, all referring to different times. A is the past, B is the present, and C is before a previously established time in the past (i.e. the past of the past, if you will).

5. Which would be used?
(a) I will drive to Osaka about this time tomorrow.
(b) I will have driven to Osaka about this time tomorrow.
(c) I will be driving to Osaka about this time tomorrow.
All would be fine I think, but B suggests that you're talking about arrival time rather than departure time.

6. Would both be used?
(a) She lived in Canada until she turned fifteen.
(b) She had lived in Canada until she turned fifteen.
Yes, but different time perspectives. A is just the past, B is a time prior to a past time you're already talking about, like if you're telling a story about something she experienced long ago and the fact that she had used to live in Canada was relevant to something.

7. Would both be used?
(a) When I got up this morning, it rained.
(b) When I got up this morning, it was raining.
Yes. A means the raining started at about the time you woke up; B means that it was already raining by that time.

8. Would both be used?
(a) The children will be visiting the mayor tomorrow morning.
(b) The children will have visited the mayor tomorrow morning.
(c) The children will have visited the mayor by tomorrow morning.
I doubt B would be used, but A and C would both be fine. A means that there is a particular plan for the children to visit the mayor at around that time, while C means there is an expectation that they will do so by then.

9. Would all be used?
(a) Since she moved to Osaka five years have passed.
(b) For three years I have belonged to this tennis club.
(c) Since yesterday Peter has been thinking of this problem.
Add a comma after "Osaka", and A would be used to describe a causal relationship, so no, it would not be used (moving to Osaka cannot affect the passage of time).

B would be used, but a comma should be added after "years".

C would be used, but a comma should be added after "yesterday".

10. Would both be used?
(a) I knew that he will win first prize in the competition.
(b) I knew that he would win first prize in the competition.
No, A is incorrect. Only B.

11. Would all be used?
(a) The girl will be there many times.
(b) The girl has been there many times.
(c) The girl had been there many times.
Cautiously I'd say yes, but A is highly unusual.

12. Would both be used?
(a) Ken and Jenny had known each other since last year.
(b) Ken and Jenny have known each other since last year.
Yes. That same past vs past-of-past difference.

13. Would (a) and (b) have almost the same meaning?
(a) You may as well cancel the plan immediately.
(b) You may as well stop the plan immediately.
That would depend on the context. But neither would be terribly likely choices. You're more likely to use a word that refers to the actual activity the plan is for, not talk about "canceling" or "stopping" the plan itself.
 
Thanks for the help, Julimaruchan.
That would depend on the context. But neither would be terribly likely choices. You're more likely to use a word that refers to the actual activity the plan is for, not talk about "canceling" or "stopping" the plan itself.

Sorry. I don't get it. Is it that neither (a) nor (b) would be used by native speakers? In that case, how would you say that instead? Would it sound strange if "you may as well" and "immediately" were used at the same time?
 
Well, let's say the plan was for constructing a bridge. I think it would be more likely that you would say:

"You may as well stop construction immediately."

Or something more personal, programming. If I had a plan to develop some software, it might be this:

"You may as well cancel development immediately."

Would it sound strange if "you may as well" and "immediately" were used at the same time?
No, that's perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with that. It suggests that continuing any further is pointless.
 
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