I don’t know how many times I have heard people incorrectly using the present perfect tense. Here’s an example of the present perfect tense:
Kim has worked at the University of Lethbridge for five years.
This is different from saying he worked at the U of L for five years because the example implies he is still working there.
Here are some examples of the present tense being used incorrectly that I heard recently:
- “He has accepted a post as a principal.” – implying he is still accepting the position
- “Naguib Mahfouz has died.” – implying he is still dying
- “You have left the group Track-It_HelpDesk.” – implying I am still leaving
What is it with people wanting to say more than is necessary? Working in an academic institution has opened my eyes (yes it is still opening my eyes, wider and wider) to such grammatical misuse. It makes me wonder what research papers look like.