Tahar
what is the difference between the two sentences 1- You didn't need to take a taxi. 2- You needn't have taken a taxi. and what are their tenses? Thanks to all of you
Apr 17, 2015 9:40 PM
Answers · 9
5
the second one is more formal but they mean the same thing
April 17, 2015
2
@Peachey - "You didn't need to take a taxi," means a taxi ride didn't happen. That's wrong. In both sentences, the most likely scenario is that someone took a taxi, but it wasn't necessary. Gracie's answer is correct.
April 18, 2015
1
Hi Tahar, This is upper-intermediate grammar, and a typical question on a placement test. "You didn't need to take a taxi," means a taxi ride didn't happen. "You needn't have taken a taxi," means a taxi ride happened, but it was unnecessary. The "[modal] have [past participle]" pattern tells us about an imagined past. It didn't really happen.
April 17, 2015
1
The second sentence is more formal, and you won't really see it being used in modern day english
April 18, 2015
@ Migi - it makes sense; it's just not very common.
April 18, 2015
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