Questions tagged [present-tense]
Present Tense uses the base form of a verb to describe current actions, events and states-of-being. Ex: I answer to no one.
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Confusion in tenses
Well, I was learning present perfect tenses today and I am confused between present perfect and present perfect continuous. I have grasped majority of the uses of these sentences but I am confused ...
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İf + Present "Using" for future?
İ have a question.
İf(when) his team is champion, he is happy.(he will (be) happy). > this can means for future?
Tnx
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(I start to think/thinking ...) or (I'm starting to think/thinking ...)?
A: Are you going to the party tonight? Marsha says she's coming.
B: Marsha? No, I'll just stay at home.
A: I ___ to think/thinking you hate her.
Which one is more probable? The present simple or the ...
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Verbs which do not admit of progressive action
she stands/ is standing in the shade of a tree.
(is standing is correct.)
The temple stands/ is standing in the heart of the city.
(stands is correct).
As per grammar rules there are some ...
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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 ...
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1answer
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Subjunctive mood and conditional
I've seen read a lil bit about subjunctive mood. And the present subjunctive mood works like this: am -> be "I demand that I be available".
I often see wishes like that: "I wish, I ...
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1answer
70 views
Present Progressive or Simple Present
I have a question about using present tenses;
would it be said that:
Robots are being developed
Robots are developed
I would say it is present progressive because the process is not ...
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1answer
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What are the differences between these sentences? (to do / to have done)
Do you feel any difference between these two in each pair?
(1)
(a) Maria was happy to have passed the exam.
(b) Maria was happy to pass the exam.
(2)
(a) Maria is happy to have passed the exam.
(b) ...
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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 ...
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1answer
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usage of present perfect tense
My question is about the use of present perfect tense. To my knowledge this tense is used for the actions that have started in the past and continues up until now. I have questions about different ...
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'Is' vs 'has been'
"It is/has been 40 years since I left college"
Which one of 'is' and 'has been' should be preferred in above sentence and why?
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1answer
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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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present continuous in this case
I am flying to Spain tomorrow and am staying/will stay there one week.
What is the best solution I think both are valid.
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correct verb form: listen to me talking or listen to me talk
(1) Nobody listened to me talking about UFOs.
(2) Nobody listened to me talk about UFOs.
Which verb form is correct?
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How to identify that it is progressive verb or temporary activity
She is smelling a black rose.
(Progressive verb)
She is looking at the sky.
(Temporary activity)
We say that first sentence is a progressive verb but second is a temporary activity. I believe both ...
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0answers
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Why is Present Perfect used in this sentence instead of Present Simple?
This is one of the tasks I've found in English contest sheet from 2005.
The task is to pick a correct answer among four.
The sentence:
According to city officials water in the lake should reach EU ...
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This question is related to present perfect tense and the uses of never in it
They have never returned from that city.
This is a single time event, so can we use "never" in this sentence?
Instead of this can we use this?:
They have not returned from that city.
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How long have you waited? [duplicate]
Can I use present perfect in questions when the person is still waiting or has stopped waiting? I mean in both cases.
A: "You are still there. It's unbelievable! How long have you waited for them?...
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"Will" for habitual action
I have a book that says we can use will and would for a habitual action. For example,
Everyday Jane will come home from school and ring up the friends she's just been talking to.
Does this ...
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1answer
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what are the appropriate tense forms to be used in these sentences and why?
She promised me that she (to ring up) me as soon as she (to return) from London.
She (to tell) me that the plane (to take off) at exactly 5 o'clock.
I learned that she (to get) a parcel from her ...
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1answer
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"He was the first one to complete the challenge" "I forget his name"
I'm really confused about present and past tense usage, I'll provide some examples.
He was the first one to complete the challenge
Why not is? Because right now, he's still in fact the first man to ...
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1answer
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Does it get larger or smaller
Should I use present simple or progressive in my sentence?
"Scientists disagree about some important facts. Does the universe get larger or smaller?"
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Diagramming “There is less need for a superstar hardware designer hanging around”
There is less need for a superstar hardware designer hanging around.
Can someone diagram this sentence for me? I remember that "-ing" form as present participle can represent an event that is ...
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1answer
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What is the difference between I don't expect and I didn't expect?
I was talking to my friend about our thesis that we have to finish before school starts. and I said I don't expect much from it but then I realized that saying I didn't expect much from it could make ...
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1answer
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Can you use a present tense verb in a past tense sentence and still have that sentence be in past tense?
I work in a strict environment that has a past tense rule for report writing, as the things have already taken place. My question is if you can you use a present tense verb in a past tense sentence ...
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The use of present perfect and present perfect continuous for finished actions
These sentences are written by native speakers. I have noticed that native speakers use present perfect continuous and present perfect even if the action is no longer in process, but do they use them ...
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I see you have finished vs I see you finished
My question may sound stupid because I know when we are using it but I don't know how to explain it by words.
have finished means that something will end soon or later like when you have finished your ...
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2answers
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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 ...
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2answers
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present progressive with always that does not imply annoyance?
What is the difference between
I am always coming back
I always come back
I know that always+present progressive can be used to show annoyance but in this example I don't think it is the case and ...
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1answer
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You do/you are doing, you tell/you are telling me
This is from my book "Longman English Grammar Practice" by L.G. Alexander.
Do "are doing/do", "you are telling me/you tell me" all sound natural and can I use "I am ...
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1answer
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"I have been waiting for you" from Bedazzled
In the movie "Bedazzled" with Brandon Frazer, his character is shown a scene in which he sees the girl he loves and himself. The girl kisses him and says:I have been waiting for you..." ...
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1answer
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Why do people use "did" instead of "do" when asking something? [duplicate]
When I go to shops to buy something, always workers ask me,
"Did you need a bag?" or "Did you need a receipt?".
I'm really wondering why they say "Did" than "Do" because I learned that when I talk ...
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1answer
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Why Does This Sentence Use Present Continuous instead of Present Perfect?
I am releasing a new xxxx single. It is very limited I only pressed only 100 Copies. You can order it
Why 'am releasing' because the record has been pressed and ready to be ordered. I would have used ...
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Their eyes looks identical or their eyes look identical? [closed]
Their eyes looks identical or their eyes look identical? Which one would be grammatically correct?
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Learning or Having learnt/Hearing or Having heared
Hearing/Learning that you want to buy flowers，I’m writing to give you some advice.
Are “hearing” and “learning ” used right here？Should I use “having heared” and “having learnt”？
because I think if I ...
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..to confirm that X is employed as an ABC since XZ. Why not "has been employed"?
I would like to write a confirmation letter for an employee. I found a template that states the following:
We hereby confirm that [name, born on, where], is employed as [role]
since [date]
Why it is ...
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0answers
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He is fired. / He was fired
When do you use "He is fired." in this case? If it happened on this day?
-- X is going to be our new manager. -- But what happened to the previous one? -- He is fired. / He was fired.
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Which sentence is correct between I tried to use it but it's hard or I tried to use it but it was hard?
I was talking to my friend about how to use Photoshop so I told her I tried to use it but it was hard. But then I realized that if I use it was hard then does it mean that it's no longer hard for me ...
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Present perfect. Why this thing even exist?
Woman: You already did me.
Man: That’s what she said.
It has been taken from the TV show "The Office":
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/66c0aa66-00e0-4512-8845-52abaac9ffb0
Why she is using ...
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1answer
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Can past and present be used together in one sentence?
Can I use past and present in one sentence?
I agree that he was wrong
I don’t care if she had a character development towards the end
Are these sentences correct? If not, Can you provide me an example ...
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0answers
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Present perfect continuous for recent actions
I have been studying the difference between present perfect and present perfect continuous. I was using my textbooks and forum discussions. I noticed that most native speakers advise against using ...
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1answer
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Why is the present continuous tense used instead of the present simple in the following context?
The situation is that I asked a question with a short film here. The respondents commented according to the film with the sentences as follows.
1."The speaker (in the film) may not use a flap /t/ ...
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1answer
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"ing"-form after "while" / "during" question
I was wondering - when using "while" usually the "ing" form of a verb follows but what if the sentence continues?
Example:
While his friends are enjoying (1. ing) their vacation at the beach he ...
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1answer
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Are these sentences correct to say "I don't understand what she said" and "I don't understand what she asked"?
Suppose I'm talking with someone and they say/ask something that I don't get it. Can I use the following sentences?
"I don't understand what she said"
"I don't understand what she ...
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2answers
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What's the difference between want vs wanted
Can I always use wanted in the following sentences to show politeness? and will it cause confusion to the listener as they may think that I've changed my mind before saying to them? or if I speak in ...
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1answer
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How do I know which tenses to use if I start a sentence with "What if I told you"?
My understanding is if I start a sentence with "what if I told you" then the following sentence should stay in the past but I'm confused because I don't want to tell a past but sometimes I ...
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1answer
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The last day on the course tense choice
I have a question regarding this explanation. Can I use present perfect in A and present perfect continuous in B? Will past simple work in B?
"For the context of changing to a new course, we say ...
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2answers
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Can the simple present be used for temporal actions?
As far as I know, the simple present is used to state facts, how things exist or behave. However, I have seen the following sentence:
I walk to class during the week.
Regarding that the present ...
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1answer
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Use of the present tense
I'm a student wondering if my English teacher would accept a sentence as grammatically correct. I've read a lot of books, especially old classics, that give examples or instances in the present tense, ...
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I have lived/I have been living or I lived the difference between BrE and AmE
These sentences are written by a native speaker. Each sentence is correct, but I have also been told that I have been living/working here for X years" means that the person
still is so it is not ...