Xinfu
September 15, 2014, 12:23 AM
Do you agree with my analysis?:
They are both correct, no difference in meaning:
-In the history of English, the most erudite man is Samuel Johnson.(=Whenever we compare him with other literary figures like Shakepeare and Milton, he is so.)
-In the history of English, the most erudite man was Samuel Johnson.(=We view him as a dead man, so the past tense is valid.)
-In the history of English, the most erudite man has been Samuel Johnson.(=He has held the post of being so up to now, and the history of English is still developing.)
They are both correct, no difference in meaning:
-In the history of English, the most erudite man is Samuel Johnson.(=Whenever we compare him with other literary figures like Shakepeare and Milton, he is so.)
-In the history of English, the most erudite man was Samuel Johnson.(=We view him as a dead man, so the past tense is valid.)
-In the history of English, the most erudite man has been Samuel Johnson.(=He has held the post of being so up to now, and the history of English is still developing.)