After the checks clear?

[Bhikkhu1991a]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #802 "Dialogue Practice: Going to the Bank", question 10

John: Thanks, but I have enough checks for now. That'll be all. Teller: I deposited the checks for you. The money will be available after the checks .........; that usually takes about five days. Thanks for banking at West Bank!

(a) cloud
(b) bypass
(c) mature
(d) clear

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #802 "Dialogue Practice: Going to the Bank", answer 10

John: Thanks, but I have enough checks for now. That'll be all. Teller: I deposited the checks for you. The money will be available after the checks clear; that usually takes about five days. Thanks for banking at West Bank!

Correct answer: (d) clear
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Hello,

What part of speech is "clear" in this sentence "The money will be available after the checks ..clear.......; that usually takes about five days?

Thank you.

Best wishes,
Bhikkhu1991a.

[Linda]

"Clear" is a verb in this case.
This is a banking term: "to pass (a bill of exchange, such as a check) through a clearing-house."
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[Bhikkhu1991a]

Hello Linda,

Thank you for clarifying my problem. However, according to Guide to Grammar and Writing, use a Present Perfect tense when a future action happens earlier than the action in the Independent clause—http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sequence.htm. In this case, the sentence then becomes “The money will be available after the checks have cleared”; that usually takes about five days”. Perhaps, others have different ways of grammar construction!

Thank you.

Best wishes,
Bhikkhu1991a.

[Linda]

Firstly, Bhikkhu1991a, when you use an exclamation point (as you did in your last sentence) in writing, you are indicating that you're upset and yelling. There's no need to yell here, is there?
Secondly, I looked at the website you listed and it uses this example sentence to illustrate the use of the present tense (rather than only the present perfect tense as you suggested above):
"I will be so happy if (after) they fix my car today.
In this test question, "The money will be available (if/after) the check clears.
In both cases, the first part of the question will take place if and only if the latter part takes place first.
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[Bhikkhu1991a]

Hello Linda,

Thank you for reminding me of the sensitivity of human communication. I don’t mean to offend anyone with the exclamation mark in the sentence. It was a matter of surprise on my part. Besides that, I have no intention of being rude.

Well, let’s come back to the subject of your sentence using the Present Tense. It looks like the first conditional sentence to me. I was thinking about the difference between your sentence and the future sentence. According to Guide to Grammar and Writing, the future sentence is made up of a future action in the independent clause and a future action in the dependent clause. In the Future column of the Webpage, there are three various actions in the dependent clauses: to show action happening at the same time, use the Present tense; to show an earlier action, use the Past tense; and to show future action earlier than the action of the independent clause, use the Present Perfect tense. Thus, according to the instructions, aren’t the use of the Present tense and the use of the Present Perfect tense totally different? As far as I know, the checks can only be processed in the future in the clearing house.

Thank you.

Best wishes,
Bhikkhu1991a.

[Linda]

No, the idea and the tenses are the same in both sentences.
And the original test question is correct.
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[Linda]

Just to clarify, some banks will hold the funds (in form a check that you deposited) until the check clears (in the future), so the money is not accessible until that happens.
The idea is the same in the sentence (and in the dependant clause that follows) provided afterwards.
"I'll be happy if and only if they fix my car later on today" (in the near future).
"I will be able to access the money if and only if the checks clears" (in the future).
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[Alan]

Hi Bhikkhu1991a,

I always get a bit worried when grammatical formulae are quoted that don't take in the sense of a sentence. According to you and the 'Guide' (I'm not sure whose guide this is), you would say: I'll see you for a meal after the show has been over. I think most of us would say: I'll see you for a meal after the show is over, wouldn't they?

Alan
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You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Bhikkhu1991a,

The sentence you've been asking about contains a so-called time clause (i.e 'after it clears' is a time clause).
The website you've been looking at also contains examples of how the present simple tense is properly used with a future meaning:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/future.htm

The next point is this: In the test sentence, it is completely unnecessary to use the present perfect in order to make it clear which future action will happen first because the word 'after' already makes that perfectly clear.

Thus, in the test sentence it is not necessary to use the present perfect in the second clause. However, it is also possible to use the present perfect (i.e. 'after the checks have cleared') if you want to do so in that particular sentence.

Alan's example is a bit different since the time clause refers to a future state rather than a future act. However, if we changed the wording of that sentence slightly and used an action verb instead, then it would once again be possible to use either the present simple or the present perfect in the time clause:

- I'll see you for a meal after the show ends/has ended.

I hope that helps.

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"Lost time is never found again." ~ Benjamin Franklin

[Bhikkhu1991a]

Hello Alan, Esl_Expert and Linda,

Thanks a lot for all your valuable contributions. They are extremely useful for my understanding of the subject.

Once again, thanks a lot.

Best wishes,
Bhikkhu1991a.