have wanted

Veron   Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:10 am GMT
I have read in a grammar book that "want" cannot be used in present perfect tense. But what if I want to say "I have always wanted a house." ? Is it ok?
furrykef   Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:31 am GMT
Yes, that's perfectly fine. In fact, there's no other way of expressing it. "I always wanted a house" would suggest you don't necessarily want one anymore, whereas "I have always wanted..." means you still do want it.

- Kef
Wil   Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:38 am GMT
Kef's right. What kinda grammar book was that? My suggestion is to throw it away immediately.

"I have always wanted a house" is grammatically correct and it definitely makes sense. Kef's said it all. So there's no need on my part to explain any further.