What are tenses of these two sentences? (Bomb)

12LR   Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:35 pm GMT
"This is all basic stuff, even for me, a NNES. I would have thought a native speaker such as 12?? would know this stuff."

My dear fellow, it's not that I don't "know" this stuff. That's not the issue.

The issue is whether, as a grammatical concept, it's valid or not.
Pos   Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:37 pm GMT
<The issue is whether, as a grammatical concept, it's valid or not. >

Seems that you are the only one here who feels it isn't, bud.
Jim   Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:52 am GMT
12SOMETHING,

You write that I am "good at this semantic/pragmatic stuff". Am I?

"So I'm actually saying I wasn't in Zagreb yesterday?" you ask. No, it's just that you're describing a past fact not a present state. The question is what you're describing not where you happened to have been. You're describing the past fact that you have been there. You're not describing the present sate of having had been there. Lazar has put it nicely.

You thank me for "thoroughly condescending and patronizing with" you. I hate to dissappoint you but that had not been my intention.

"I realize now that your opinions are of much greater import than other people's." you write. That's nice but I wonder what makes you think this.

At the end of the day, though as you say, they are merely "opinions" and not "truths". Ah! What is truth? Do tell us, 12, what in your opinion truth is.

Here are some of the things I have written.

1) Johan Elsness' explanation is correct.

2) We are talking about the definition of particular grammatical terms.

3) The sentence "Atomic bombs have provided a clear deterrent for big nations." does fit the definition of the term "past tense".

4) If your meaning differs from what the rest of the world means by the term, you cannot really hope for a very useful discourse.

Which of these are truth and which are just opinion?
12IV   Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:08 pm GMT
You know what?

Taking a leaf out of the World War One history books, I'm calling a truce on this one for now.

Regardless of our differences, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah and all the best in the New Year.

12WHATEVER
Jim   Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:19 pm GMT
Same to you. Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Solstice/etc. and have a great New Year.