Sometimes, I make a sentence whose subject can represent something of the past and something that still exists today. Which tense should I use for the helping verb? For instance: Any cellphone which (is/was) released between 2012 and the present year has this "mute" feature.
1 Answer
The time phrase in your sentence "between 2012 and the current year" clearly refers to a point in time in the past. So a past tense must be used.
Your sentence uses a passive construction which may be confusing you. Consider:
Apple releases/released the iphone-x between 2016 and the current year.
You should decide that the correct tense to use is "released".
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What if I also refer to the apple mobiles that are still released regularly in the current year? Commented Oct 12, 2019 at 7:11
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Same. I've edited to speak of the iphonex, which I think is the current one. (I'm not really into apple)– James KCommented Oct 12, 2019 at 7:13
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But, bro, I still refer to the phones that Iphone still releases regularly in the current year. Are you saying that I should still use the past in this case? Commented Oct 12, 2019 at 7:16
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Please don't call me "bro". The release date of a phone is a single day. Even if it was last month or last week, or even yesterday, it is still in the past.– James KCommented Oct 12, 2019 at 7:23
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So sorry, then. I am Indonesian. Sometimes, we are just over friendly :) okay, then. I will use the past for such a sentence now. Thanks a lot, James. Commented Oct 12, 2019 at 8:06