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.
[edit] To make that jumble easier to understand, just look at it with contractions:
1. The staff stated that the company doesn't...
2. The staff stated that the company didn't...
You can see how the second one can be understood more than one way.
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I do agree, but I wouldn't say that describing the current condition would cover any future intention, as in this case it would be more correct to say the company doesn't (covering both present and past) and won't....(covering the future).
Quote:
Originally Posted by kranz
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)
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You can also see this example as an indirect quote. At the moment the survey was taken, the employees said (directly): "The company does not facilitate self-developement". So in this case, using Simple Past and Simple Present is necessary to avoid a misunderstanding- at least in my use as a stupid foreigner
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As Steve pointed out: didn't would be misleading, as it could mean that the employees said :"They didn't facilitate... (untill last year. Now they do)".
Hey that's a nice thread, let's hijack it as a resource for us English learners!
