Register    Login    Search    Rss Feeds

Forums Home » Ask An Instructor » GMAT Verbal » Manhattan GMAT Verbal Strategy Guides


 Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 



  Print view Print view Previous topic Previous topic | Next topic Next topic
 

Clarifications in verb tense

Author Message
krishnakumarhod
 Post subject: Clarifications in verb tense
 Post Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 1:05 am 
Offline
Students


Posts: 14
Can you please tell me the difference between


She was playing with her friends when the babysitter arrived

and

She played with her friends when the babysitter arrived


also the difference between

we have lived in a hut for three days

and

we have been living in the hut hut for the past 3 days
Top 
tim
 Post subject: Re: Clarifications in verb tense
 Post Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:05 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 2206
Location: Southwest Airlines, seat 21C
"was playing" indicates that the play started before the babysitter arrived and continued up to the arrival (and possibly beyond). "played" makes it sound like the arrival of the babysitter prompted her to play with her friends..

For the second one, if you have lived in the hut for three days, those three days could have been at any time, not necessarily consecutive. If you have been living there for three days, it means three days in a row counting back from today..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor
Top 
krishnakumarhod
 Post subject: Re: Clarifications in verb tense
 Post Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 2:23 am 
Offline
Students


Posts: 14
Now i get the first one

We have lived in a hut for three days

and

we have been living in the hut for 3 days

Please tell me the difference between the above 2.
If you could give me more explanation in terms of tense it would be great
Top 
shrivastava.rohit
 Post subject: Re: Clarifications in verb tense
 Post Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 9:33 am 
Offline
Prospective Students


Posts: 3
krishnakumarhod wrote:
Now i get the first one

We have lived in a hut for three days

and

we have been living in the hut for 3 days

Please tell me the difference between the above 2.
If you could give me more explanation in terms of tense it would be great


As explained above,

"We have lived" makes the sentence a past tense. Meaning that you lived in a hut for three days sometime back. When is not known.

"We have been living" is more like a past tense, which still continues since you are still "Living" there as opposed to have "Lived" there.

First, statement takes the meaning of the sentence to an event that occured sometime in the past.

Second, Statement makes it "Present Progressive" Or also known as present countinous tense. Which means you are describing something that is in progress.

Hope it helps.
Top 
tim
 Post subject: Re: Clarifications in verb tense
 Post Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:01 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 2206
Location: Southwest Airlines, seat 21C
That's exactly it; thanks..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor
Top 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 
 Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 





Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

 
 

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: