Past Simple/Past Participle

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umaa: Legendary Member; Posts: 727; Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:32 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 8 times

by umaa » Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:15 pm

We already discussed this during the meeting

We have already discussed this during the meeting

I believe both are correct. So, when do we need to use simple past and when do we need to use past participle in this kind of situations?

Thanks,
Umaa

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:15 pm

iamcste: Legendary Member; Posts: 940; Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:22 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 55 times

Re: Past Simple/Past Participle

by iamcste » Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:01 pm

umaa wrote:We already discussed this during the meeting

We have already discussed this during the meeting

I believe both are correct. So, when do we need to use simple past and when do we need to use past participle in this kind of situations?

Thanks,
Umaa

okie

when you have only one action, which is already done or finished-simple past

past participle are required for perfect tenses

used when there are more than one action and at different intervals of time

Past perfect

Event 2 ..................> ...............Event 1 ............................NOW

here both events are completed , so if we used simple past tense, how do we come to knpw which event occcured first hence....we require perfect tense
Oldest event 2 is marked by Past perfect which is= Had + Past particple

In your case, "discussed" is past participle..so had discussed

Event 1 occurs later to event 1 and marked by simple past

so, in short use Past perfect when you have to refer "Past" of the" Past" or the extreme past

Present perfect tenses are used when an action has started and still continues on to the present or outcome of the action still exists

Present perfect are formed by Has/have + Particple

so, in the example you gave we really dont need Present perfect

( have discussed-since there is only one action ...so the first sentence must be ok)

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