Ardith Hinton to Anton Shepelev:

AS>>>>> On  my  way  to  work I have encountered a difficult
AS>>>>> case

AS>>>> Omit "have".

AK>>> The information about the case is connected  with  the
AK>>> present   time   (you  haven't  put  the  time  mark).
AK>>> Therefore, IMHO, the present perfect time was correct.

AS>> No, the Present Perfect is harly [AS: hardly]  possible
AS>> here  because  "on  my way to work" clearly indicates a
AS>> past time and makes the whole sentence narrative.

AH> IMHO the issue may have a lot to do what is or  isn't  a
AH> "time marker".

Well,  I  dislike  this  term  in  particular, and prefer in
general to analyse grammar based  on  the  intended  maning,
using  terminology  as  an  aid  rather  than as the primary
instrument.  From that viewpoint, nothing can  depend  on  a
defintion of a term.  The sentence is correct or wrong (or a
gradation in between!) regardless of what terms  we  use  to
discuss it.

AH> I  regard  your  correction  as an improvement because I
AH> imagine you mean something along the lines of "On my way
AH> to  work  today,  before  I  was able to relax at home &
AH> catch up on my echomail, I noticed [blah  blah]  in  the
AH> comedy of manners I was reading on the bus".

Sort  of  that thing, yes -- I simply wrote of an event that
had occured with me (or to me?) earler.  It is not  a  "been
there, done that" kind of statement.

Do you think all Wilde's plays comedies of manners?

AH> Alexander  may  be  thinking  more  of Freddy in MY FAIR
AH> LADY, who informs the audience "I have often walked down
AH> this street before"....  :-)

I  have  not  read  that  one, but the line you quoted has a
"habutual" meaning, if I may say so, for it does  not  refer
to  a  specific  event in the past.  I wot not how Alexander
might have misinterpreted my sentence in this way.  It  does
not  have  "often"  or  another  word indicating a habit and
repetition...

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