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Question
I have a Japanese student of English. I have bumped into a sentence in a text book: Until now no governor had ever been elected for more than two consecutive terms of office. Is this 'had' correct? ( I think it should be 'has.') If I am not correct, would you elaborate. Thank you.
I think you are correct. But if the speaker is really talking about the present ("now"), I don't think the phrase, "until now," adds meaning. The sentence should simply be, "No governor has ever been elected for more than two...."
If the discussion is about something that just happened for the first time (the sitting, 2-term governor has just won a second term), the most accurate phrasing would be, "Until the recent election, no governor had ever been elected for more than two terms of office." The phrasing that caught your attention is odd and imprecise and should not have made it by an editor.
Hope this helps.
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Mr. Smith, thank you very much. I got this question from a friend, who asked the publisher (Japanese) of the textbook (they said 'had' is correct!). I told my friend the publisher is wrong. So, I needed confirmation from an expert. Millions of thanks. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Dan Smith
Expertise
I have been a professional writer and editor for more than 30 years, taught speech and English composition at the university level, and have developed speech and English composition courses and seminars for businesses. I am experienced in editing a wide variety of materials, especially business, scientific, and other academic papers. I am familiar with all the major style guides.
Experience
I have edited any number of graduate papers and other technical materials in such advanced fields as clinical psychology, civil and electrical engineering, and semiconductor fabrication. I have extensive experience in working with non-native English speakers.
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