This question came from a student of mine – he wanted to know how to parse the grammar of this sentence, which appears to be simple but clearly is not: Peter seems to have found his glasses. Sentences of this form are very common in English but the syntax is puzzling. The main verb is … Read more
I am following English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy: unit 43, and I encountered the term “perfect infinitive”. I googled this term and I found most of the results talk about the usages, not definition. Cambridge Dictionary explains the “to have done” form well and it writes We form the perfect infinitive with to … Read more
I have written It lacks exact references to the book, something about argumentative analysis I will have come to learn later in the course. I wonder if this is correct and what this tense would be called. Perhaps it would be called “future past future perfect”? Answer According to the Cambridge Dictionary it is future … Read more
I came aross a question like this： As a public relations officer, he is said ________ some very influential people. to know to have known There are two available answers to this question. The first is to know and the other is to have known. I chose the first version, to know, but it said … Read more
In one of the renowned grammar books I’ve come across an example of confusing usage of the perfect infinitive, where in my opinion past perfect should be used instead: He is thought to have been deeply depressed at the time, but recovered later. The above sentence is placed in the past, so why there is … Read more
Is this sentence correct? My niece is pretending to have been playing the piano for a whole hour. With this sentence I want to describe a situation when a girl is pretending at the moment of my stating the fact and at the same time I’d like to mention the duration too. If to divide … Read more
Suppose my brother’s school is closed today (for some reason). I knew it and he did too. But he forgot it and left for school. After that I say this to our mother: I’m too late to remind him his school is closed today. I’m too late to have reminded him his school is closed … Read more
Is it allowed to rewrite [repeating the subject] this passive sentence: She is reported to have died in a plane crash. into this: She is reported that she has died in a plane crash. I’m in doubt because the first passive sentence has the construction: subject + passive verb + infinitive and I don’t know … Read more
Tell me please if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences. If I had worked overtime, I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project. If I had worked overtime, I wouldn’t have been able to have finished my project. I cannot see the difference but feel there is a small one, … Read more
I think there is difference between these two sentences, but can’t quite feel it. Could anyone tell me if there is indeed some distinction. 1) He would rather hadn’t stayed for dinner 2) He would rather not have stayed for dinner thank you in advance! Answer With a slight tweak to the first sentence, the … Read more
