What does 's stand for?
— What made Tom so sad?
— His bicycle's being stolen.
How can I understand 's in this statement?
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 8
4
The answer doesn't make sense. The question is in the past tense, but the answer is using a continuous tense. It's not correct, the answer should use the present perfect: 'His bicycle's been stolen.'
Tom's bicycle's been stolen = Tom's bicycle has been stolen.
1
" 's " means is :) sometimes, it means "has" in past perfect structure
0
— What made Tom so sad? (past tense; his sadness is completed/finished/over)
— His bicycle's being stolen. => His bicycle HAS been stolen. (present perfect tense)(incorrect verb tense in my opinion)
=> His bicycle WAS stolen. (past tense. The "stealing" action lasted only a few seconds and was then completed.)
The two tenses should be consistent (past-past).
Alternative:
Why is Tom so sad? (present tense; ongoing sadness)
His bicycle's been stolen. (has been stolen = is still missing = ongoing missing condition)
(present-present perfect)
0
你的意思是这句话实际上是一个名词词组?
0
那这句话为什么用现在进行时呢,这件事是过去让Tom 不开心
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
