zahra
Grammar question
What is the difference between these two sentences below. 
A) I didnot shave this morning
B) I have not shaved this morning
Apr 24, 2018 2:35 PM
Comments · 5
4

@Pablo, @zahra

A is simple past, not simple present. Your analysis is correct.

B is present perfect, as you said, the action of not having shaved is still in progress, but what time of the day is it? In A, what time of day is it?

April 24, 2018
3
What is the difference between these two sentences below. 

A) I did not shave this morning.  For me, this sentence makes more sense.  The morning is already in the past, and the action was not completed.  There seems to be no indication that the action will be done later, so simple past is all you need.


B) I have not shaved this morning.  If you were to leave off "this morning" then the present perfect would sound ok.  "I have not shaved (yet)" means that maybe you will shave later.  But by adding "this morning" you are setting the time frame, and the tense does not make sense to me now.  If surrounding sentences indicated that it was still morning at the time of saying this, then maybe it could still work.  In that case, i might add "yet", "I have not shaved yet this morning."


April 24, 2018
2
What is the difference between 'did not shave' and 'have not shaved'? Which verb tenses are they? Present, future, past, present perfect, etc. Then, what do the 2 verb tenses you chose signify? Present = habitual action or state, future=action not started, past=....etc.
April 24, 2018
1

Both are past tenses:

A - Simple Present. The action is finished. You definitely didn't do that in the morning.

B - Present Perfect. The action is still in progress. You have not done it yet, but you decide if you do it later.

April 24, 2018
Thanks Robert! I didn't notice my mistake in time. In fact it's Simple Past [emoji]
April 24, 2018