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by PL » Thu Nov 15, 2007 7:21 am
Hi All

I have a question regarding verb tense. Which kind of verb should follow in "should have" sentences - Simple past or past participle? Is there any rule for this.

Ex:
You should have drank the water
You should have drunk the water (doesn't sound right, but not sure)

You should have sang the song
You should have sung the song (doesn't sound right, but not sure)

You should have saw the event
You should have seen the event (Sounds right in this case. But past participle is used here. Is that right?)


Thanks in advance

-- PL
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by Danielle » Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:25 am
It's should have + past participle. It's a simple rule...where it becomes more complicated is when you have irregular verbs that have past participles that are different from the regular past tense of the verb (for most verbs they are the same, hence the confusion).

All your examples are of irregular verbs!

1. drunk is the past participle of 'to drink', therefore should have drunk

2. sung is the past participle of 'to sing', therefore should have sung

3. seen is the past participle of 'to see', therefore should have seen

Suggestion: Maybe taking a look at a list of conjugated common irregular verbs. You'll see what I mean about past tense and past participles.

Please let me know if you need more on this.
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by PL » Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:41 pm
Thanks Danielle. It is clear now.

-- PL
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by Danielle » Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:55 pm
Cool glad that I could help!
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