Questions tagged [past-tense]
This tag is for questions about the usage of tenses to refer to the past.
267
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
3
votes
2
answers
231
views
Past perfect or past simple in these sentences
I know this is not really a new question but . . .
I got a letter from John yesterday. We were at school but I lost touch with him because he was very ill and could not go to school anymore.
...
- 7,255
2
votes
2
answers
79
views
Without context, is there any difference between "had been cancelled" and "was cancelled"?
I have an example sentence that goes like this:
I rang the station, and they told me that the train had been cancelled.
Is there any difference between that sentence and:
I rang the station, and ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
41
views
Present relevance or not , present perfect or past simple in this case
Sorry to contact you but I just realized that my last order ( two Comps on bin liner) made on discog were on Cd. I made a mistake. I thought they were on vinyl.
So I know that this order has already ...
- 7,255
2
votes
2
answers
49
views
Why is Past Perfect used here?
This is an excerpt from "The Moon and Sixpence", by W Somerset Maugham, the very beginning of chapter 18:
had this in my workbook as an example of a specific use of past perfect (the use i ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
73
views
I told him and now he KNOWS or I told him and now he KNEW?
I told him and now he knows.
or
I told him and now he knew.
If I have now in the sentence. Does it mean that the following verb needs to be in a present tense? Or it is not necessary?
- 41
2
votes
2
answers
76
views
Can past simple mean annoyance in my example
I really worry because I have not received my order (made on 30/10/21). I already contacted you in December for the same reason and I only got a reply in January after sending many emails .
You ...
- 7,255
2
votes
2
answers
117
views
Present Perfect vs Past Simple. Which one is correct?
I was watching a movie yesterday and came across a dialogue:
"What is this?"
"It's the technology I developed"
Is the word "developed" here used in the right tense? ...
2
votes
1
answer
322
views
"Didn't choose {to be born/to have been born}"
Didn't choose to be born
Didn't choose to have been born
The second one doesn't sound right to me, but something about it looks plausible. Which one is the right one, and why?
2
votes
1
answer
119
views
Past simple or past continuous?
1 Being students, they didn't have much money and they usually worked as waiters at weekends.
Why do we need to use the past simple?
2 While they were studying, they were working as waiters at ...
- 121
2
votes
3
answers
93
views
Why is past simple better in this exercise
"Luckily he had brought a bottle of barbecue sauce with him to the barbecue, and he ____________ (survive) by drinking water mixed with barbecue sauce."
The test says only "survived&...
- 7,255
2
votes
2
answers
527
views
"If I knew what you want/wanted to eat tonight"
Context:
I am talking to my friends, trying to find out what she wants to eat tonight.
"What do you want to eat tonight?"
"You know what I want to eat."
"If I knew what you wanted to eat, I ...
2
votes
2
answers
39
views
When do we use was/were with "headed", and when can it be omitted?
For instance, in a sentence such as this:
Joe Biden headed for the White House on Monday for a meeting with Kamala Harris.
What would the correct form be — Joe Biden was headed or Joe Biden headed?
Noob understanding grammar
2
votes
2
answers
223
views
Past continuous vs. Past perfect
It's a story that happened in the past at an airport.
It starts this way
When I got to the check-in desk my parents were nowhere in sight.
I was waiting for them until it suddenly occurred to me ...
- 1,101
2
votes
5
answers
627
views
"I have been sightseeing (today) and earlier I was at the beach/I had been at the beach(?)"
A: How is your weekend going?
B: I have been sightseeing (today) and earlier I was at the beach/I had been at the beach(?)
Which form should I use?
- 307
1
vote
0
answers
13
views
Could past simple fit in this case ?("question" in past perfect answer in past simple)
I ordered a copy of this new record on vinyl and postage was only 1,6 euros( it should have been around 10 euros) .Surprised I just double-checked to see if I had chosen the good option . Yes I ...
- 7,255
1
vote
1
answer
51
views
How do I change tenses when describing my thoughts about the past within a past tense narrative?
I am probably missing something very simple, but when you have a present + past simple sentence like the following:
I think that he looked uncomfortable when he was reading my essay.
How do you put it ...
- 35
1
vote
1
answer
59
views
How to say the sentence "Subject + should + (not) + verb" in the past tense?
Suppose that a student achieved poor academic grades and the officials of the university he attended told him if he fails any other course, they will expel him.
At that time, he said these sentences ...
- 1,050
1
vote
1
answer
98
views
Why is it correct to use the past simple "she did it" instead of the past perfect?
At the end of a movie, the main character kills the mean people and another person replies "she did it".
Why did he use past simple? I would have used "she has done it* because the ...
- 33
1
vote
1
answer
27
views
past or present perfect
Which sentence is correct: I had some practical experience with cooking for over a year.
or
I have had some practical experience with cooking for over a year.
**or ..your opinion
Probably the question ...
- 61
1
vote
1
answer
31
views
Is it correct: I had been staying , in my situation?
Is this correct:
I had been staying in the Emergency Department for three days until the doctors could identify the missing diagnosis.
where "staying" is used together with another action ...
- 61
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
Is this a strange use of the past perfect tense?
More stories and news in the music press kept coming from Ireland about a new band called U2, formerly known as The Hype, so a decision was made to change the band name to The Action.
Robbie lived ...
- 7,255
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
Is this present perfect statement from Novak Djokovic gramatically correct?
In his recent interview with BBC, Novak Djokovic says (link to the interview starting at 3:51):
You know, no one in the whole process, during the Australian saga, has asked me on my stance or my ...
- 109
1
vote
0
answers
31
views
What does got mean in "they've got to leave"
They've got to leave.
In the sentence above, what does "got"" mean? Is it the past participle of "get"? If not, what is it? Why bother add it? Why don't people just say
They ...
- 1,555
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
why not had already been well rehearsed in this text
Why not "had already been well rehearsed" in this text:
South London called Broadway Sound. Early on the morning of August 12th 1982 the band, comprising of Colin Swan, Geno Buckmaster, ...
- 7,255
1
vote
0
answers
62
views
"It is/was" in cleft sentences
I don't know which tense should be used in the following cleft sentence. In the non-clefted version, the past-tense is used, but in the clefted version, which tense is okay? If both are okay, what's ...
- 5,894
1
vote
0
answers
24
views
was/is a great invention of
Which tense should be used in the following? If both are okay, what's the difference in their use?
The light bulb was/is a great invention of Thomas Edison.
- 5,894
1
vote
2
answers
41
views
Past and present in one sentence
Is it correct to use both past and present tenses in sentences where experiments lead to the discovery of general truth about smth, like this:
"Experiments demonstrated that in this solution ...
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
'thought it was" or "thought it would"
I thought it was cheaper to send it airmail but in fact when the postman told me the price it was very expensive.
I thought it would be cheaper to send it airmail but I was wrong it was very ...
- 7,255
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
Can present perfect and present simple be used in the same sentence?
I occasionally say a sentence in which mixing the two tenses feels natural but in theory they express different relations to time so I am unsure whether this is correct.
One example sentence would be: ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
Proper usage of Is + Past Participle
Is this sentence grammatical?
The link is commented.
This sound ungrammatical to my ear for some reason. While the following sentence doesn't:
The link is suspended.
I guess the effect has ...
- 89
1
vote
0
answers
38
views
is + past perticiple? and was + past participle?
When is the last time you danced?
When was the last time you danced?
Yesterday I saw the first sentence written and I don't know if it's correct.
Are both of these options correct? If so what's the ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
55
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,...
- 97
1
vote
0
answers
40
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.
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
56
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 ...
- 701
1
vote
1
answer
91
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 ...
- 701
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Is there such a thing as the imperfect past tense? If so, can you give me some examples?
I'm sure I was taught that there was at school. But someone recently asked me the difference between 'learned' and 'learnt', which is a nice little conundrum that receives plenty of attention ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
165
views
Which follows or which followed?
I am writing a report and comparing this year's increase/decrease to last year's increase/decrease.
Which of the following sentences is more correct and why?
Civil filings decreased 21.6% in 2020, to ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
33
views
Indirect speech for past tense
What would be the indirect speech for the sentence given below.
The teacher said,"she was sick yesterday".
Which one is correct.
The teacher said that she was sick the previous day.
The ...
RAGHAV SINGH
1
vote
2
answers
44
views
Is this sentence gramatically correct? Use of would have and had
Is this sentence correctly written?
I would never have had the chance to become who i am if would not worked as hard as i did.
Also, I'm a native Spanish speaker and i can't find the differences ...
Carlos Leotaud
1
vote
1
answer
45
views
present vs past tense
I told her to light the lamp when it gets dark.
I told her to light the lamp when it got dark.
Which sentence is correct? If both are correct then what is the difference in meaning between them and ...
1
vote
1
answer
131
views
Why was the past perfect used before and after ‘since’?
Can you please explain the use of two perfect tenses in one sentence with 'since'? The sentence is original and is taken from R.J. Palacio's book 'Wonder'
"It had been a long time since I'd been ...
- 49
1
vote
0
answers
41
views
What tense is a good choice for these sentences: past simple or past perfect?
But when I saw the very thin packaging I thought that it was a miracle that the record was not broken.
But when I saw the very thin packaging I thought that it was a miracle that the record had not ...
- 7,255
1
vote
2
answers
80
views
Can you reword conditional setence in subjunctive and still retain the same meaning?
For example
If he were alive today, he would've supported the independence movement.
Here the speaker is talking about somebody who has passed away in a present interview. Wouldn't it be more ...
- 19
1
vote
0
answers
16
views
Using "now" with the past tense
I'm confused because I think the use of word "now" is kind of idiomatic in phrase 1, but on the other hand I think it should be as phrase 2.
So, is it normal to use "now" with the past simple ????
1-...
- 181
1
vote
2
answers
705
views
Can we use the past tense followed by present tense to describe videos or movies we've seen before?
For example:This video talks about the importance of giving affection to your pets, they were mentioning how you should make enough time for your pets to ensure their happiness in the long run, it was ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
552
views
hadn’t felt / hadn’t been feeling (in context)
Question with an assignment.
Instructions: Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple, Past Perfect Simple, Past Perfect Continuous.
Mum ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
54
views
Some doubts about the usage of Past Perfect in these context
I am encountering some problems filling these space in this exercises:
A: Have you seen Matt recently?
B: Matt? He’s in Canada.
A: Really? How long has he been in Canada?
B: About a year now. ...
- 23
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
I was working while I was studying at college
I was working while I was studying at college, is it correct?
And how to tell about past actions for example:
'In college I had a subject 'Web design' where I was making a static web-page', is it ...
- 13
1
vote
0
answers
34
views
Is it necessary to add "being" here?
The meeting, held at a time when the world is facing growing uncertainties, is widely expected to bring positive energy to global well-being.
or
The meeting, being held at a time when the world is ...
- 11
1
vote
4
answers
191
views
"were" used as a subjunctive is present or past?
Given the 2 examples below:
I wish you were here now
If he were in the situation that you've been 2 weeks ago, we wouldn't have bothered about it now
The word 'were' is used as a subjunctive and my ...
- 11