Reporting Source: telling source or emotional impact

On this page:
Source v. Duration
Emotional Responses
Common Mistakes
Practice

Reporting Source

Source or emotional impact

Where did you get those jeans?

Reporting Source vs. Duration

PAST – SOURCE / INFORMATION
We use past tense to focus on who, what, where, why, how or the origin of something.
Where did you get those jeans?	I got them at the Gap.
Where did you go?	I went shopping. (seeking information)
What did you buy?	I bought some jeans.
What are they made of?	They are made of denim.

PRESENT PERFECT – DURATION / RECENCY
We use present perfect to focus on an aspect of time: the duration or the recency of the activity. (for the past few hours, recently, so far)
What brands have you worn?	I've worn Levi's and Gap. (so far)
Where have you been?	We have been shopping. (for the past few hours)
What have you bought?	I've just bought some new shoes. (recently)
What have they been made of? (jeans)	They have been made from cotton over the past one hundred years.

recency (n.) – being recent
seek (v.) – asking for

Past Completed

Responding With an Emotional Outburst

Emotional Response vs. Experience

PAST
Use the past tense for an emotional response, in which it is more urgent to tell what happened than how long or howmany times.
Wow! Look at him. ! He just did a backflip. (amazement)
Mom! Johnny hit me. (outrage)
His car ran into the back of mine! (shock)

PRESENT PERFECT
Use the present perfect tense when relating the importance of time: how long, how many times. (duration and repetition of activity)
He has done a backflip. (indefinite past) (previous or recent experience; perhaps, said to a gym coach with a checklist)
Johnny has hit me. (indefinite past) (previous or recent experience; perhaps, said to a judge in a divorce court)
*His car has run into the back of mine. (unlikely to be used as either previous or recent experience - incorrect)

outburst – a sudden release

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

ERRORS	SOLUTIONS
Where did you go on vacation? We have been to the beach this summer. incorrect	We went to the beach this summer. (focus is on activity) We have been to the beach recently. (focus is a recent time) We have been vacationing at the beach this summer. (forcus is time – ongoing) (If we are still at the beach, use present perfect progressive with "this summer". If we are talking about a recently completed trip, use past tense, or use present perfect with the adverb "recently".)
Where did you get that? I have bought it at the bakery.	I bought it at the bakery. (Emphasis on where. Use past tense for reporting source or origin.)

ERRORS

SOLUTIONS

Where did you go on vacation? We have been to the beach this summer. incorrect

We went to the beach this summer. (focus is on activity)

We have been to the beach recently. (focus is a recent time)

We have been vacationing at the beach this summer. (forcus is time – ongoing)

(If we are still at the beach, use present perfect progressive with "this summer". If we are talking about a recently completed trip, use past tense, or use present perfect with the adverb "recently".)

Where did you get that? I have bought it at the bakery.

I bought it at the bakery. (Emphasis on where. Use past tense for reporting source or origin.)

Pop-Q – "Source"