Past or Perfect?

[jupiter]

Hi all and sundry  

Could you please help me with this sentence?

................ a binding contract last year and it is still valid.

a/ We signed
b/ We have signed

Which one is the correct answer? a/ or b/ ?
Explain why it is correct and vice versa

Jupiter

[Keo Somala]

Hello Jupiter,

I will answer your question as I possibly can!
     
     In my opinion, the correct answer is (a). The reason why (a) is correct is that "....a binding contract last year..." is used with "last year" as a time expression of PAST. Moreover, one of the uses of simple past tense shows "a past action that finished, with a particular past time. So, in this sentence "last year" is used and it is obvious that using "simple past tense" here is right!    
   How about perfect present tense? Surely, "perfect present tense" is used to show an action that started in the past and still goes on in the present with a particular period of time, for example, for 3 years/since 2005. But "last year" doesn't show a period of time but "a particular past time".
      Thus we see that the action of signing was finished in the past , and "it is still valid" sounds rather confusing that it can make learners feel that (b)/using perfect present tense is correct. But it is not.>
>We signed a binding contract last year and it is still valid. (right)
>We have signed a binding contract last year and it is still valid. (not right)

[Greeny]

Hi Jupiter and keosomala,

I agree with you keosomala. What you said is right. The word "last year" made it clear that the sentence is in past tense. Jupiter, you don't have to care with the clause "it is still valid".

What expresses the past tense here is the action that you "signed" it in the past; so it finished already. If you said "I have signed", it sounds to me that you do not sign only one time, but many times. You sign until now, and maybe in the future. So, it is not right to use perfect tense in here.

Greeny