Questions tagged [past-tense]
This tag is for questions about the usage of the past tense in English.
1,657
questions
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In the sentence “Have you deleted your account?”, what is the tense and grammar rules involved?
In the sentence “Have you deleted your account?”, what is the tense and grammar rules involved?
I was trying to ask a friend this and realized I don't know what is going on with the grammar here. If ...
0
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1answer
17 views
Past simple for two verbs in a flashback in past perfect (both past simples happening in the same flashback time)
The first time I ever met Johnny Thunders was at a club [...] called Rebeccas. Thursday at Rebecca was always "punk". I'd gone along to the soundcheck with my two New York Dolls albums in ...
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0answers
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What is better in this example “was” or “is”? [closed]
Today I received a big parcel of stuff, but your book IS / WAS missing
I think "is" fits better, as at the time of writing the book is still missing. Am I right by thinking that?
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0answers
17 views
Verb Tense for a Condition in the Past
"The consensus was that this was that."
or
"The consensus was that this is that."
This is that at that time.
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1answer
22 views
Why was past perfect used here instead of past simple?
I came across these two sentences while reading F. Paul Wilson - Gateways:
But what Jack really seemed to enjoy most was reading far-out fiction and watching old sci-fi and monster movies.
His father ...
1
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1answer
29 views
What is the usage of tenses in this paragraph?
I have a misunderstanding of usage of the tenses in this paragraph:
He didn't know what to make of his younger son. He'd thought they'd
been close. He'd made a special effort to spend time with Jack ...
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0answers
21 views
As far as that WENT
Is it okay to say "As far as that WENT"?
Like a past form of "as far as it goes".
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2answers
54 views
The right usage of past perfect tense [duplicate]
I bought a Cherry mechanical keyboard yesterday. Cherry is a German keyboard-making company. I had a chance to use a Cherry keyboard before. One of my coworkers used a Cherry keyboard, and he let me ...
0
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2answers
28 views
Which sentence is grammatically correct : I started the day with the thing that woke me up or I started the day with the thing that had woken me up [closed]
Another related question : Is it okay to use past perfect tense in general past sentence like ,
I usually started a day with the thing that had woken me up.
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3answers
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Which one is correct? “Do you enjoyed sports?” or “Did you enjoy sports?” [closed]
I'm trying to understand one thing about this sentence. Can anyone tell me the mistake? "Do you enjoyed sports?" For what I know, that sentence is in the past tense. Shouldn't that be a ...
3
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1answer
43 views
Which past tense should I use in this sentence
What did you do at this time yesterday?
What were you doing at this time yesterday?
The simple past tense or the past continuous tense?
1
vote
1answer
24 views
Using simple past in the present tense
Could someone please explain why we can say:
It is time the law reflected this ("dognapping" as a serious crime) in the sentencing of all offenders.
is it the same as:
It is time the law ...
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30 views
Are these three sentences interchangeable and correct? And which do you prefer and why?
Are these three sentences interchangeable and correct? And which do you prefer and why?
"I watched the movie "Brother 2" yesterday for the first time. I hadn't wanted to watch it ...
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0answers
19 views
Conditionals and past perfect continuous
I have a question about the third conditional and past perfect continuous.
The form of the third conditional is:
If+past perfect,...... would+have+past participle
Is it possible to use past perfect ...
0
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1answer
55 views
Continuous after when?
I was studying past tenses and this sentence showed up,
when I....... (walk),
I suddenly realized
that I had left my keys at home
Now the answer was walked, but it didn't make since to me, I thought ...
3
votes
2answers
171 views
past perfect with 'when' [duplicate]
Alice walked to the door when the doorbell rang
Alice walked to the door when the doorbell had rung
In (1) it is clear in which order the actions occured. The doorbell rang. Then, Alice walked to ...
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0answers
28 views
What's the difference between “They finished the project by March” and “They had finished the project by March”? [duplicate]
What's the difference between
"They finished the project by March" and "They had finished the project by March"?
Can you give contexts when to use one and not the other?
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0answers
21 views
had expected to go to Spain vs expected to go to Spain
Am I right that the first sentence assumes that something definetely happened and that thing didn't let "to go to Spain next year". For example, pandemia or her income decline. So, in the ...
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0answers
21 views
Had become / have become / were becoming / something else?
I imagine this is how it sounded to you. His ramblings had become so insane, as had every expression he made.
Is this sentence grammatically correct? Would it be better to replace the "had ...
-1
votes
1answer
25 views
past or present: The Enlightenment is/was a movement . . [closed]
In the following sentece, should "is" or "was" be used?
The Enlightenment is/was a movement of the 18th century that stressed the belief that science and logic give people more ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Cannot understand usage of present perfect continuous in the sentence
I know that I cannot say like this:
I would love to be living in the 19th century
because this is not a real oppotunity and you can't live in the past.
I spoke with my American friend and he suggested ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Jokes {went/were going} over my head
If there is one joke that I don't understand I might say:
The joke went over my head.
but what if I don't understand a series of jokes in the context of a movie, for example, someone suggested to me?...
3
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2answers
55 views
Cannot understand the grammar used in the sentence “I'd love to have lived in the 19th century”
I came across this sentence in the one of the English knowledge tests, and it really confused me. It turned out that I cannot say "I'd love to live in the 19th century" because of some ...
2
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1answer
43 views
Can I say “thank you for having us” before the end of a visit?
A few years ago I was visiting a friend's home, and since I'm always painfully polite, I wanted to thank his mother for being willing to have a group of boys in her home for the weekend.
So when I met ...
3
votes
1answer
20 views
It's correct to Say: “It was Tough to me?”
It's correct to say: "It was Tough to me accept the loss of my HD"? (To clarify, i want to talk about the Data loss, not the object itself)
I'm Brazilian, so this structure in Portuguese ...
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1answer
13 views
Do information in the past need to be written using present tense?
Currently I'm learning about Changing Time Clauses to Modifying Adverbial Phrases.
Here's an example I picked from my book:
After I heard Marika describe how cold it gets in Minnesota in the
winter, ...
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0answers
16 views
Have begun or began in this case
My original vinyls lp's began OR have begun to scratch,I had played'them so many times.
I think the first one is better but have begun can fit because it is recent .
Is it possible to write
My ...
0
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1answer
21 views
have learned\have been learning\used to/would learn?
The parents have learned to let their kids speak.
The parents have been learning to let their kids speak.
The parents used to/would learn to let their kids speak.
I mean that that was certain process,...
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0answers
29 views
Using Past perfect with till
He did not wait till we had finished our meal.
Why this construction is grammatically correct?
I mean (and feel) He did not wait is first event, finished is second.
1
vote
1answer
50 views
“Where did you spring from?” vs “Where do you spring from?”
There's a phrasal verb "to spring from", one of the meanings of which is to appear suddenly and unexpectedly. Looking for the example sentences with it, I noticed that it's used in questions ...
0
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0answers
16 views
Are these grammatical? The simpler the better?
"He was washing the dishes while she was watching football"
"He said that he had been washing the dishes while she had been watching football"
"He said that he had been ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
Past simple for longer actions
Is it wrong to say that the past simple is used for very short actions and long actions (the dinosaur example) but for shorter ongoing actions native speakers use the past progressive not the past ...
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2answers
37 views
“He was ruling” or “ruled”
This sentence is from "Longman Advanced Learner's Grammar" by Mark Foley and Diane Hall. Is it wrong to use the past progressive in this example?
Ramses II was ruling/ruled over ancient ...
0
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2answers
56 views
Is there a rule governing a switch from present perfect to simpler tenses?
— Where have you been?
— I've been at a cafe. I was having lunch there.
I wonder when one should switch from the present perfect to simpler tenses. Is it a correct example (i.e. shouldn't it be "...
1
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0answers
44 views
What is more natural for describing last night's actions, past simple or progressive?
— What did you do last night?
— I watched YouTube. And what about you?
— I met up with a friend and we watched a movie.
— And what did you do before the meeting?
— I roller-skated.
My textbook says ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Correct response to “Has he lost his keys?”
imagine a situation when someone lost their keys but after some time he has found them. What would be the correct response to this question?
"Has he lost his keys?"
Options:
"No, he ...
0
votes
1answer
16 views
“I told you how I felt that nothing could come close.” or “I told you how I felt that nothing comes close.”
I'm confused about this since this is in past tense. which one of the following is correct?
1 I told you how I felt that nothing could come close.
or
2 I told you how I felt that nothing comes ...
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0answers
32 views
I wonder if the PP tense in some (or all) of these sentences is either optional or mandatory or wrong
Yesterday I watched the movie “Father”. I hadn’t expected it, but the
movie proved to be a masterpiece. This morning I was surprised to
learn that the 93d Oscar ceremony had been held last night, and
...
0
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2answers
57 views
Is it grammatical to use the present perfect tense when speaking about something that happened in a finished period?
— Here you are at last! Where have you been?
— I’ve been fishing. I’ve caught a big fish.
— What fish did you catch?
— I caught a salmon.
— Where were you when you caught it? (Or should it be "...
1
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2answers
37 views
Is this question trying to find out “whether or not the action was done” or “who did it?” A: Did you plant that tree.? B: My father planted it [closed]
This is from a British film. In a farm, two friends are working heavily and finally they removed an old and dried tree trunk from the soil and then took a break, sitting on the ground and drinking ...
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0answers
22 views
Is “healing faster than I thought I was going to” grammatically correct?
I told I friend that “I’ve been healing faster than I thought I was going to” in relation to a breakup. I’ve been thinking that I should’ve said “I’ve been healing faster than I thought I would.” ...
1
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1answer
31 views
“I was supposing…”? (past continuous possible?)
I would like to know if it is possible to say "I was supposing..." or does it always have to be "I supposed..."? The example for what I am thinking of would be the following ...
0
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1answer
35 views
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Shouldn't it be “had been listening”?
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this.
Shouldn't it be "had been listening"?
The action "the crowd listened" preceded the action "Paul said" and the listening ...
0
votes
2answers
40 views
Is it okay to use simple past and simple present in the same sentence?
If I am trying to describe my experience today, which one of these is correct?
Every time I thought I got it, every time I made it to the point where I was sure I understood it, the market proves me ...
0
votes
1answer
15 views
The present perfect/the present perfect continuous and the past simple
Would it be wrong to use the past simple, the present perfect, and the present perfect continuous in these sentences after changing "now" into "today" to say that I am standing ...
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0answers
28 views
He said he “had played”/“played” golf yesterday
What is the difference when using the past simple and the past perfect tense, in this sentence?
He said he had played golf yesterday.
He said he played golf yesterday.
2
votes
2answers
77 views
Past perfect for two simultaneous events “Her business had proved that it was possible to be sustainable and profitable at the same time.”
Could anyone please explain me why we use past perfect instead of past simple before “that” in the sentence below? As I understand, we use past perfect in a sequence of events to show that the action ...
0
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2answers
41 views
past or present tense?
I'm wondering whether the boldfaced forms in the follownig should have been changed into the past tense, e.g., "were," "could," and "was."
M: How was your stay at the ...
0
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1answer
33 views
Do I have to parallel tenses in this question?
I have just returned to my hometown after working and living in Rome for 5 years. I do not work or live in Rome anymore.
I meet someone who says: "I haven't seen you in a while, what have you ...
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0answers
36 views
Participle adjective confusion
I know you can use past participle as an adjective, let’s say, the laptop is built well. But let’s say, I bought a designer bag, now I regret it, does it make sense to say the money is wasted on this ...
