Verb Tense

[HenryL545]

If trying to indicate two actions, one that occurred in the PRESENT and one that occurred in the PAST - obviously you can use a PRESENT tense and a PAST tense, but could you also describe these two actions with a PRESENT tense and a PRESENT PERFECT tense (since that technically started in the past).

Conversely, if trying to indicate two actions, one that occurred in the PRESENT and one that occurred in the PAST - obviously you can use a PRESENT tense and a PAST tense, but could you also describe these two actions with a PRESENT PERFECT tense (since that technically remains into the present) and a PAST tense.

Simply - are these alternative ways to describe sequential events allowed? Does it depend?

Will that GMATs typically try to trick test takers as such?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Although I can't fault your logic and I commend your thoughtful approach, the issue of how tenses combine is simply far too huge to be reduced to a couple of simple rules. English has past perfect, past, present perfect, present, future, and future perfect tenses, all of which can be used in active or passive voices, and continuous or simple forms. That makes 24 different tenses! Each has its own nuances of meaning and usage, making it a very wide field. Consequently, I encourage you to take a slightly different approach to your GMAT studies.

First of all, your English is clearly excellent - you can use it to communicate fluently and accurately. However, there may be a few areas where your usage differs from the more formal style demanded by GMAT. Plus, you may be trapped on meaning issues, as you probably use English without thinking too much about how you put words together. However, both these areas are best coped with by ad hoc study. I.e. when you encounter questions you don't understand, or make mistakes in GMAT problems, then address the issues raised.

So, in conclusion, do you have a GMAT problem you're struggling with?