Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
I think both are correct, but if the statement is about the current condition then "does not" would be more appropriate. "Did not" represents the past tense, but "The staff stated" is also past tense, so "Did not" seems like a good choice. The real question is not whether the staff stated it yesterday or five minutes ago, but whether the company's intent is current or past. "Did not" could be taken mean that they didn't intend whatever yesterday, but will tomorrow. "Does not" is definitive: The company does not intend ever to do whatever it is.
Both are correct, but "does not" is better.
At least that's my opinion.
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Thanks, that's exactly how I understand it.
The whole report was about staff who were supposed to say what was/is wrong with the company's condition.
The full sentence was:
The staff stated that the company does not facilitate self-development of the employees.
The teacher underlined -ed in stated, crossed out does and put did above.
The grammar question is: can the Present Simple be used after the Past Simple in that case? The more natural option would be Past Simple+Past Simple but I've read somewhere that the former is also acceptable for ongoing processes/currents states etc. (Hewings, Advanced Grammar in Use)