What do I say here? (the English language)

[northpole]

1... Did you eat the sandwiches... it is a more direct approach especially since she is his mother ....
2.... Have you seen Peter.... because you can't assume the person is lying to you Peter might not be in (for whatever reason)

[john_k_sri]

The form with the auxiliary verb 'have' and the past participle 'seen/eaten' are more likely to be used when referring to a time later than the form with the simple past ('did eat/did you see'), although both forms are effectively interchangeable with no loss of meaning.

European Romance Languages like French and Spanish have the equivalent forms, and are used in the same way as in English, although in French the simple past is no longer used in conversation, except in the Ivory Coast, and the form with the auxiliary verb is used instead.

The simple past is usually referred to as the 'past tense' in English, and the form with the auxiliary verb 'have' as the 'perfect tense'.

English no longer makes a distinction between 'formal' and 'informal' in the verb when addressing someone; it was dropped a long long time ago.

[kaliope]

Some has just crashed into my car. I get out of the car and address them:


What have you done?
or
What did you do?

[new boy]

What have you done. Or why did you do that.

[RBH]

Address them?????

I'd knock 20 colour of **** out them.

[Dog_Book]

Address them?????

I'd knock 20 colour of **** out them.

I’d go with this rather than the chatting

[Big Dave]

Someone has just crashed into my car. I get out and go punch them:

Corrected it for you.

[john_k_sri]

'go punch' is incorrect. 'go TO punch' or 'go AND punch' is better, and grammatically correct. The incorrect form is commonly used and is a modernism, but by no means widespread in the UK.

[RBH]

'go punch' is incorrect. 'go TO punch' or 'go AND punch' is better, and grammatically correct. The incorrect form is commonly used and is a modernism, but by no means widespread in the UK.

"Grabbed the **** by the throat"

Is that grammatically correct???

[RBH]

'go punch' is incorrect. 'go TO punch' or 'go AND punch' is better, and grammatically correct. The incorrect form is commonly used and is a modernism, but by no means widespread in the UK.

"Grabbed the **** by the throat"

Is that grammatically correct???