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I was told that this sentence is so wrong, and after reading some related threads here, I now understand that "earlier" should be used with past tense. So is it okay if I change the sentence to "As Puss has told them to, they all say the Marquis." Is this sentence natural?

It's from a simplified reader "Puss in Boots". The context is that Puss shows the King around, making him believe that his master, Henry, is an important man. He tells the king that Henry is a Marquis. He also asks some people to lie to the king, having them say that they all work for the Marquis.

Laurel
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Stacy Chen
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    Where did you get this sentence from and what is it supposed to mean? – Laurel Sep 06 '23 at 16:05
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    It looks OK but it's hard to understand without any context. What is happening? What does "they all say the Marquis" mean? It would also help if you provide links to the threads you're referring to. – Stuart F Sep 06 '23 at 16:06
  • Thanks for asking. It's from a simplified reader "Puss in Boots". The context is that Puss shows the King around, making him believe that his master, Henry, is an important man. He tells the king that Henry is a Marquis. He also asks some people to lie to the king, having them say that they all work for the Marquis. – Stacy Chen Sep 06 '23 at 16:11
  • The English name of the character is Puss in Boots. You could say "They all call him (Henry) 'the Marquis'." – Kate Bunting Sep 06 '23 at 16:13
  • Sorry!! What a big mistake! Yes, Puss in Boots. Thank you! – Stacy Chen Sep 06 '23 at 16:15
  • https://english.stackexchange.com/a/506481/486933 This is the thread I read relating to the same issue. But I was just wondering if I could keep the present perfect tense in my sentence. – Stacy Chen Sep 06 '23 at 16:18
  • Thank you all for your kindness and suggestions!! Much appreciated! – Stacy Chen Sep 07 '23 at 03:19

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The sentence is OK, but the writer seems to be "mentioning" the phrase "the marquis" (rather than "using" it). I'd therefore put that phrase in quotation marks, as Kate Bunting suggested in a comment:

As Puss told them earlier, they all say "the Marquis."

As you note, the simple past is better than the present perfect due to "earlier". It's fine to use the present perfect if you remove that word, and you can also add the particle "to" after "told":

As Puss has told them to, they all say "the Marquis."

MarcInManhattan
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  • Thank you so much for your clear explanation and for pointing out the mistake I've missed!! I'm very grateful for your help. – Stacy Chen Sep 07 '23 at 03:25