1

Is it grammatically correct to use present perfect and past simple tense in the following sentence?

She has been mad at John for five days, as she couldn't go to Paris because of him.

Improve this question
1
  • 1
    Of course it is. Please tell us why you think it isn't "grammatically correct". Has someone taught you that you mustn't use the perfect and the simple past in the same sentence?
    – P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica
    Jul 14, 2017 at 19:25

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

Yes. There's nothing wrong with that sentence, as those are two separate clauses.

Improve this answer
1

Yes. Being mad is a condition which continues to the present, so the perfect is appropriate. (Not) going to Paris is an event which is over, so the past fits.

... as she hasn't been able to go to Paris (perfect) would be fine, but would have a slightly different meaning: it would treat the possibility of her going to Paris as something which might have happened throughout the five days.

Improve this answer
0

Yes, they look good. It's also worth noting that in spoken or written English the use of various verb forms and sentence structures will serve to make your writing/speech more interesting (just as using a good variety of vocabulary does).

Thanks for the question

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .