Jose Carillo's English Forum

English Grammar and Usage Problems => Badly Written, Badly Spoken => Topic started by: solid9 on March 16, 2018, 08:47:41 AM

Title: Have, has or had?
Post by: solid9 on March 16, 2018, 08:47:41 AM

Which is correct for this sentence below?

I dreamed that my best friend has died
I dreamed that my best friend had died
I dreamed that my best friend have died

and why?

Title: Re: Have, has or had?
Post by: Joe Carillo on March 17, 2018, 02:43:45 PM

Sentences 1 and 2 are both grammatically correct. In Sentence 1, the dreamer dreamed that his best friend died only recently, hence the use of the present perfect "has died." In Sentence 2, the dreamer dreamed that his bets friend died at some unspecified time in the long past or in the not so recent past, hence the use of the past perfect "had died."

Sentence 3 is grammatically incorrect because it uses the wrong plural form "have died" for the clearly singular "best friend." It should use the singular "has died" or "had died" instead, observing the conditions specified in Sentences 1 and 2.

Title: Re: Have, has or had?
Post by: solid9 on March 17, 2018, 09:42:02 PM

Quote from: Joe Carillo on March 17, 2018, 02:43:45 PM

Sentences 1 and 2 are both grammatically correct. In Sentence 1, the dreamer dreamed that his best friend died only recently, hence the use of the present perfect "has died." In Sentence 2, the dreamer dreamed that his bets friend died at some unspecified time in the long past or in the not so recent past, hence the use of the past perfect "had died."

Sentence 3 is grammatically incorrect because it uses the wrong plural form "have died" for the clearly singular "best friend." It should use the singular "has died" or "had died" instead, observing the conditions specified in Sentences 1 and 2.

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