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
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الإجابات · 9
5
the second one is more formal but they mean the same thing
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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.
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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.
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1
The second sentence is more formal, and you won't really see it being used in modern day english
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@ Migi - it makes sense; it's just not very common.
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