I have the sentence below:
I became a zoologist because animals have always fascinated me.
Although I've done a lot of exercises, I found it interesting why we use Present Perfect and Past Simple in this sentence. At first I assumed we should had written "had always fascinated" instead of "have always fascinated", but I think the reason is simple. My attitude to animals hasn't change yet, that's why despite the action of my becoming a specialist in this field is finished, animals are still fascinating me.
I'm sorry if my explanation is a little awkward. Am I right?
Best Answer
This is called sequence of tenses.
The part "animals have always fascinated me" began in the past and continues into the present. The part "I became a zoologist" occurred at a single occasion in the past.
If you want to say that "animals fascinated you" in the past but not any more you need to use the Past Perfect tense:
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