Changing the verb tense of the sentence

Question

Q)   Coronavirus cases  surged  in the U.S., outstripping a peak not seen since the worst day in April and prompting some states and cities that have reopened quickly or shunned shutdowns to reverse course

Can we use  has surged  instead of  surged  in the sentence because of the word "since", which implies a timeline. Also, since the impact of a past event is shown in the sentence, isn't it more appropriate to use  has surged  ?

NithishKumar · Answer

I am wondering whether the sentence written in a different verb tense is correct in GMAT.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  NithishKumar . Apart from the fact that  cases  requires a  plural  verb agreement, there is nothing wrong with using either the simple past ( surged ) or present perfect ( have surged ) in the sentence at hand. It really depends on what the author intends to use as a benchmark for the timeline. From just the sentence above, we cannot tell. Consider the following two variations:

1)  Coronavirus cases surged last week in the U.S.

2)  Coronavirus cases have surged since last week in the U.S.

The first sentence is a comment on a timeline with a definitive beginning and end, while the second offers an insight into a timeline that extends into the present. Just because you see  since  in the original sentence, you cannot assume that the present perfect would be absolutely necessary.

I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

Changing the verb tense of the sentence

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