Questions tagged [past-tense]
This tag is for questions about the usage of the past tense in English.
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I already finished the work
I have such a rule in my head that if we have "already", "still" or "yet" I am obliged to use Perfect Tenses.
But can these words be used in Past Simple?
I already finished the work (some time in ...
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2answers
30 views
I had finished it by 11 am
I was told to that it was incorrect to say:
I had finished it by 11 am
The person was saying Past Perfect could be used only with Past Simple, not times like this one. What do you think about it?
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0answers
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When you had found it out by 11 am I had already come?
Can we say so:
I found it out at 11 am ?
It's Past Simple. The action happened while it was 11 am
Can we say:
I had found it out by 11 am?
It's Past Perfect. The action had happened before 11 am....
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1answer
12 views
she not go to live with her father (in past)
Can we use not go in past? For example, this sentence:
She not go to live with her father.
I am not sure if I can use this sentence like this:
She did not went to live with her father.
or:
...
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0answers
18 views
I had done when you had come by the evening
We have "A" and B moments in the past. "A" happened first, "B" happened second. "A" should be in Perfect. Example:
I had done when you came
I had done - "A"
When you came - "B"
"A" happened before ...
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0answers
18 views
he has scored or he scored
My non-native English speaking friends and I meet regularly and learn English from one another. At our last meeting, I talked about an amateur hockey player, who is my friend. This is what I said to ...
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1answer
14 views
Which tense should be used in this situation?
I am confused about what tense I should use in this situation.
He ______ (can) picture his brother's face more clearly now, because he had saved the life of a fourteen-year-old boy, who remarkably ...
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2answers
34 views
“took a bath” or “have taken a bath”
Which sentence is correct (if not both) and what is the difference between them?
I just took a bath. [moments ago]
I've just taken a bath.
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1answer
22 views
How long did you do it (for)? [on hold]
I keep having difficulties with past tenses:
1. If action has started and is still going on we can ask "how long have you been doing that", right?
2. Is Present Perfect Simple possible here? "How long ...
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1answer
36 views
Present perfect continuous for the verb to sign?
On the same exercise there is that sentence
He has been signing up for a historical tour to exactly these places
The reason of choosing the continuous form is that it is a temporary action.
But ...
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1answer
16 views
Past simple and “all night”
can i use just past simple in this case "
Sorry, I'm late because I was in a sauna with Johnny Depp and Angelina
Jolie all last night
"If I have "all last night is it ok to use just past simple ...
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1answer
14 views
Present or past when the thing doesn't exist
A: Did you ever have the orange sherbet at Johnny's Icecream Shop? It's a shame the place burned down and no longer exists.
B: I used to. All the time. I liked that a lot. What a pity.
Would it be ...
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1answer
31 views
How to avoid multiple negatives in sentence [closed]
I have written few lines, but I feel those could be more better in English, even I am not sure about grammatical mistakes. Please correct my below sentences
"But that didn't go well as I didn't ...
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1answer
26 views
Is the past and prestent tense correct in this?
I like that you made it a point to bring me food before I started working this morning
Or should it be .. I like that you made it a point to bring me food before I start working this morning.
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1answer
24 views
'Once' conjunction past tense
'Once they passed the exam, they worked in a national hospital and received more
training.'
I can't understand the correct meaning of this sentence.
I know a sentence like 'Once they pass the exam,...
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1answer
34 views
Confused between past simple and past continious
The situation is that I am talking to some friends about an event that happened earlier:
When I was packing my clothes my dog was watching me.
When I was packing my clothes my dog watched me.
...
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0answers
18 views
why past continuous in this case as both actions are completed at the time of writing
A side is Freak Out, B side is Dr. Hoo Hoo, Mr. Tomomatsu were recording and mixing the same as the previous two 7", and legendary L.A Punk's engineer/producer GEZA X were mastering these songs.
why ...
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1answer
29 views
Usage of present tense in a past tense sentence
I read that if sentence is in past tense then all clauses of the sentence should be in past, except if it is a universal truth.
Now, I want to create a sentence and situation is this - I watched ...
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1answer
23 views
never traveled or had never traveled?
Rousseau produced twenty-six jungle paintings in the final six years of his life. In fact, he had never traveled outside of France or seen a jungle.
If had never traveled would be changed into ...
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1answer
15 views
Present/ Past tense between sentences with past tense?
She overcame all of her difficulties and created her own destiny as a merchant all by herself. That is not all. After making a large fortune, she willingly donated almost all of her wealth to her ...
0
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1answer
26 views
Started or has started
Life started in a simple organisms .
Can has started can be used instead of started? Then how are the meanings different?
Because life is still going on, can i use present perfect?
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1answer
19 views
Tense agreement is or was?
The public and critics laughed at Rousseau's flat style of portraying human figures. This was because the paintings did not look real. Rousseau's style was markedly different from the contemporary ...
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1answer
17 views
is estimated OR was estimated
It IS/WAS estimated that people consumed a lot of bottled water in 2015.
In the sentence above, is and was both are possible? Then how the nuance is different?
If there is no difference, which is ...
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2answers
234 views
The past simple of “gaslight” – “gaslighted” or “gaslit”?
What is the past simple of the term gaslighting as a verb – "gaslighted" or "gaslit"?
Would it be correct to say:
That person gaslighted her
or:
That person gaslit her
Note: There is a ...
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1answer
47 views
Past Simple or Past Perfect in the context of something having been done by the exact time yesterday
Here goes a sentence:
Alice said that she had translated three articles by five o’clock
yesterday.
My question is as follows:
If what Alice exactly said was "I had translated three articles by ...
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1answer
20 views
Preserved or had preserved, the difference?
Theseus was a great hero to the people of Athens. When he returned home after a war, the ship that had carried him and his men was so treasured that the townspeople preserved it for years and years, ...
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0answers
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ever with past VS past perfect?
However, Sol Elman, the father of violinist Mischa Elman, thought differently. He said, “My dear friends, Kubelik played the Paganini concerto tonight as splendidly as ever he did.
Can i change ever ...
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1answer
32 views
“Suspected” VS “had suspected” have same meaning here?
For a long time many scientists suspected that koalas were so lethargic because the compounds in eucalyptus leaves kept the cute little animals in a druggedout state. But more recent research has ...
2
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1answer
28 views
The difference between past tense and had pp?
Less well known at the time was the fact that Freud had found out, almost by accident, how helpful his pet dog Jofi was to his patients. He had become a doglover in later life when Jofi was given to ...
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2answers
26 views
“Has sat” vs “Has sit”
My friend and I were looking towards our boss and wondering when to enter his room to speak to him. Usually, a good indication of whether he is free or not is to check whether he is sitting down.
So ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
`This cup hadn't been drunk out of for…` vs `This cup wasn't being drunk out of for…`
Is sentence "This cup hadn't been drunk out of for twenty years precisely since its owner was exiled to Siberia." right?
I suppose no because it's not about up until point in past.
I think the ...
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2answers
46 views
Past,past perfect with until, by
Do we always use past tense with "until" plus time in the past, and past perfect with "by" plus time in the past?
Until last year, Anna worked as a teacher.
By last year, Anna had worked as a ...
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2answers
21 views
why the past tense in this sentence that appears in a dialogue?
can you fix me up with a part-time job?
-Anything in particular that appeals to you?
-I was rather hoping to find something in a school.
-Have you done that kind of thing before?
Yes, I was doing the ...
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1answer
35 views
Using “what + did” in a question
The examples:
What killed the Prince of Persia series?
What did kill the Prince of Persia series?
Is the meaning the same in both questions? Are they both grammatical? Why or why not?
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1answer
26 views
complex sentences and past sense
I'm discussing internals of a database system with someone and I'm struggling to figure out how do I talk about my past thought on the subject.
If I was just expressing my thoughts I would say "It is ...
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1answer
38 views
I thought you had taken or took what is the best
The following practice text comes from http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/2g31-penguin-story.php:
One day a husband and wife _____ (1)
(drive) to the countryside to visit their friends ...
3
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1answer
27 views
“Words were different when they (lived / were living) inside of you”
“Words were different when they lived inside of you.”
― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Shouldn't it be "...when they were living inside of you."?...
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1answer
67 views
What is difference past simple and past perfect in this sentence?
I (non-native English speaker) have sometimes been confused about when to use past simple and when to use past perfect.
President Donald Trump has vetoed a measure from Congress that revoked his ...
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1answer
38 views
weren't going vs didn't go [duplicate]
I already asked a question about “weren’t playing” vs. “didn’t play”. I’m not sure if the same rules apply in an example like this one:
The weather was very bad, so we didn't go north.
vs
The ...
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0answers
24 views
tenses with the expression it… two years since [duplicate]
She invited me to dinner. But it _____ two years since I _____ to her house. So I lost my way.
The answers were "was" and "had gone".
Could they be "had been" and "went"?
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1answer
20 views
Do I use correctly Past Tenses? [closed]
I am solving an exercise in which I should use the correct past tense. Can you check my answers and tell me are they right?
With his heart thumping, he was climbing the ladder leading to the roof. ...
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3answers
41 views
Past tenses in sequence: former and latter past events
I have a question about past tenses in sequence.
I studied that while describing connected past events in sequence:
event 1: former event is in past-perfect
event 2: latter event is in past-tense
...
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2answers
28 views
Past Simple or Present Perfect?
I have a problem using those tenses in practice, or even analysing them in books or movies.
For example : A character says "I opened the doors" (well the doors are opened so he and his friends see ...
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1answer
20 views
Past Continuous with while
The sentence:
The boy stole / was stealing the apples while nobody was looking / looked.
Question: Which variant is more appropriate?
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1answer
52 views
“Used to” with period of life
can I say " I used to smoke for 5 years "?
is it correct?
And if no, which tense should I use?
Should I say "I had smoked for 5 years?"
Thanks a lot.
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0answers
49 views
“could” in the past referring to a single possibility/opportunity
I decided to create another question as this addresses another aspect of the topic I discussed in my related questions.
I know that in general, "could" is not used to describe a specific possibility ...
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1answer
16 views
How can I construct a sentence that contains reference to the past?
I want to construct a sentence in which I talk about the past. But my friend said that the following sentence has some grammar errors since I cannot follow considering my interest with a past tense. I ...
4
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2answers
326 views
General past possibility with 'could'
I am a bit confused, as I know I should not use "could"+verb in the sense of a possibility in the past, such as "He could go there yesterday but he did not". I am well aware I should use past modals ...
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1answer
25 views
What is the tense of: is located
Consider the sentence:
The shop is located near the bus stand.
Is it present tense? Doubt is ---- is a helping verb presentence
and located is past tense.
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1answer
57 views
mistake or mistook?
I saw the following sentence, and am wondering whether "mistake" should be replaced with "mistook."
Plastic bags have been found in the guts of dead sea turtles, which mistake them for jellyfish.
...
