I see this so many times on writing forums. This is a short story what I wrote or This is a short story I wrote. I don't know about you guys, but it really annoys me for some reason. Shouldn't it be: This is a short story I've written? or I've written a short story. For some reason the first example seems as if a child is writing it, and when I read that first sentence, it really sends shudders up my spine. Maybe I'm just being picky.
The only one of the four I really have an issue with is the first one: If what were changed to that, I could live with it. But the choice between wrote and have written is purely a personal preference, with have written carrying a little more of the connotation of a writing process rather than an event. On the other hand, I might prefer to voice it more actively:
As has already been said, both of the two tenses are perfectly acceptable although some people would tend to use a certain one. Personally, I do tend to use the perfect tense: I have done... I have eaten... Rather than the simple past: I did... I ate...
imo, which to use should be dictated by the context within which you use them, not personal preference... there will be many instances where one would work and the other won't...
Absolutely, sorry I didn't make that very clear. In situations where you could use either, I prefer to use the perfect tense.
