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Question

My package is lost and has not been found. The operator says:

Once your package has been found we will notify you.

Is this sentence grammatically incorrect?

Shouldn't it be:

Once your package is found we will notify you.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

PreciousJonesOnce your package has been found we will notify you.Is this sentence grammatically incorrect?Shouldn't it be:Once your package is found we will notify you.

Both are correct. Neither one is a problem. After a subordinator of time that points to the future you can have present or present perfect with punctual events. (This is when the main clause is present, future, or imperative.)

[When / Once / As soon as / The moment / After] we [arrive / have arrived], we'll call them to say we're safe.
[When / Once / As soon as / The moment / After] he [comes in / has come in] the door, yell "Surprise!"
[When / Once / As soon as / The moment / After] the curtain [falls / has fallen], the audience will applaud.

The use of the perfect is perhaps a little more formal. In any case, there is sometimes the very slight implication with the present that action will be taken immediately, and with the present perfect that action will be taken in due course, as time permits. Applying this general principle, you can see that "as soon as" and "the moment" go a little better with the present, while the others mentioned above can easily be used with either tense.

CJ

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