Questions tagged [sequence-of-tenses]
for questions about the agreement between the tenses of verbs in related clauses or sentences.
307
questions
4
votes
2
answers
238
views
If clause in a conditional sentence: didn't have vs hadn't
I have a sentence in an exam that says:
[1] I WOULD COME if I DIDN'T HAVE other plans.
Is it right to say the sentence:
[2] I would come if I HADN'T other plans.
I am having trouble deciding.
Mary
1
vote
1
answer
41
views
Is the change in the tense of "do" understood when "done" is omitted?
I've always wondered about this kind of sentence:
You can't do (it); you have to wait for it to be (done).
Is the "done" necessary? Without done, is it allowed so in any other type of ...
0
votes
1
answer
52
views
Past perfect without Past tense
As a technology visionary, Elon Musk has created cars that have
challenged the conventional automobile industry and rockets that have
saved space transportation costs.
Is this sentence correct? It ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
70
views
Attributive clause and Sequence of tenses
There are three chronological actions:
A friend gives me a book.
I like it.
I tell my friend: "I like it."
I want to describe all three in one sentence with an attributive clause. Would it ...
- 701
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
Progressive aspect with simple past
Is this sentence correct?
She isn't feeling well so she had to take a day off.
Or should it be wasn't?
Maribel Sevilla
3
votes
2
answers
90
views
Why does the author write "listen" for a thing he is doing?
I'm sitting here with a warm nostalgic feeling as I listen to the final master recordings Peter has sent over
Why is it not "am listening" is it because sit is already present continuous so ...
- 7,233
2
votes
1
answer
34
views
Any contexts where "if I/you/she/.. would [do something]" would be correct except for future in the past?
I am wondering whether the following sentence is correct English or not:
The librarian told him that he had a chance of catching several directors all at once, if he would go to the Barnstable Yacht ...
- 121
0
votes
1
answer
113
views
XYZ has been attracting increasing attention vs attracting increased attention
I recently read two documents where I saw:
XYZ has been attracting increasing attention.
XYZ has been attracting increased attention.
Are both correct? Is there a difference in meaning?
- 103
1
vote
3
answers
70
views
what is this meaning of "could"?
A: Your French is horrible.
B: Oh really? Then, seems like I've been deceiving myself into thinking that I could speak it when I actually couldn't.
This "could" is the result of the ...
- 207
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
Help with verb tense
Which of these sentenses is correct?
If we stopped the project, they would pick up where we left off.
If we stopped the project, they would pick up where we would have left off.
If we stopped the ...
- 1,653
0
votes
1
answer
72
views
Would have thought
I’m having a disagreement with a friend about the use of would have.
She thinks that backshifting isn’t necessary, whereas I think it is.
For example,
“I would have thought he made exceptions in ...
- 168
0
votes
1
answer
32
views
infinite tense or gerund in this case?
Should I use the infinite tense or the gerund in this case?
It was so distressing seeing/to see Jack kill his neighbour.
If both are correct, is there a difference in formality?
- 1,653
0
votes
3
answers
49
views
Should I say, The president of the college, together with the deans, 'is' or 'are' planning a conference for the laying down a series of regulations
My question is what verb should I use in this sentence, The president of the college, together with the deans, (is)(are) planning a conference for the purpose of laying down a series of regulations. ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
45
views
A question about verbs in time clauses
I'll have finished the letter by the time you come back.
I'll have finished the letter by the time you have come back.
Do these sentences mean the same? If so, why?
- 15
1
vote
1
answer
110
views
Present Perfect and Past Simple in the same sentence
I wanted to check with you if I have translated the following correctly:
"I moved to Italy 5 years ago and I have opened a restaurant
there"
From the text, I understand the subject still ...
0
votes
1
answer
41
views
present perfect followed by present continuous
Is the following paragraph okay?
Syria turned into a battlefield in 2011. Since then, many Syrian people have been driven out of their country. A great majority of them are flooding into Europe.
- 5,894
0
votes
1
answer
69
views
Present perfect + past simple (sequence of tenses)
I came across these sentences:
"I've found out that you lied.
"I've discovered that she was untrue to me".
It confuses me, because I thought, that according to the rule "...
- 115
0
votes
1
answer
47
views
Prove that he didn’t/hadn’t
Let’s say someone interviewed someone else for a job, and the candidate thought about complaining about discrimination but eventually he didn’t.
Now the interviewer and a third party are talking about ...
- 168
0
votes
2
answers
71
views
Why doesn't the sentence break the "sequence of tenses" rule?
In this video (you don't have to watch it but just in case) the teacher provided two sentences as an example of usage of "will":
I asked the pirate where the treasure was but he wouldn't ...
- 197
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
Is there anyone can help me to understand the sentense?
I think this sentence is a mixture of the second conditional and the third conditional:
If it did, the rat would not have known it.
But I have heard the line in The Big Bang Theory.
How can I ...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
48
views
First , we met at a rehearsal in the city. Our team (had) needed a singer, and she (had) agreed to help. - Past Simple or Perfect [duplicate]
Do we need to use Past Simple or Past Perfect in this case if 'needing' and 'agreeing' happened first?
First, we met at a rehearsal in the city. Our team (had) needed a
singer, and she (had) agreed ...
- 109
30
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Why is it correct to say "We should go see a movie," but not "We should have gone see a movie"?
Two sentences:
We should go see a movie. (1)
*We should have gone see a movie. (2)
The first is correct, the second is incorrect. Why can we omit the word 'to' in the first but not the second?
A ...
- 448
-1
votes
2
answers
36
views
Had been - sequence of tenses
Is this sentence grammatically correct? "I have also met outstanding educators who had been incredibly supportive to each other"
0
votes
1
answer
32
views
sequence of tenses: if ..is.. , .. is
Why this sentence is legal (from a popular US university book):
If the spring in Fig. 14.2 is an ideal one, the total overall range of the motion is 2A.
(According to rules it should be:
If the ...
- 419
0
votes
2
answers
31
views
She reasoned that she must be/have been or had to be?
She reasoned that she (must be) (must have been) (had to be) a victim of sex discrimination.
I think the first option is okay, but the tenses confuse me here: she reasoned in the past that she was a ...
- 319
1
vote
2
answers
67
views
Shouldn’t “chose” be “choose” in “Is this the moment you chose to tell me this”?
I told a friend something.
They said, "Is this the moment you chose to tell me this?"
I opined that it should be, "Is this the moment you choose to tell me this?"
Or maybe, "...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
301
views
Is it correct to use the present perfect after a second conditional?
Given the following scenario:
I had some books; I read them all; I gave them away.
Would it be correct to follow this up - in reference to the present - with the present perfect?
...but even if I ...
- 6,643
0
votes
1
answer
31
views
Reporting past events
Could anybody pick the correct alternative to report this event in the present?
BOSTON and LONDON, July 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics today announced that the company has received ...
1
vote
1
answer
32
views
Confusion regarding present and past perfect
Can you please tell which of the following two sentences are correct when the person has quit the job.
How long have you worked at ABC company?
How long had you worked at ABC company?
Thank you in ...
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
What does mean the sequence of time in this example
throughout the period the Sex pistols were active there had always been an intention to produce a film based around the band. It was always part of McLaren's master plan that the Pistols were more ...
- 7,233
0
votes
2
answers
65
views
Why is the progressive form used in “since we weren't playing...”
Why did the author choose a continuous form?
Kim would always encourage me to wear baseball hats when we played because she said it made me look a heavy metal drummer, and since we weren't playing ...
- 7,233
0
votes
0
answers
182
views
Tenses for narrating past and future event
I'm confused with the choice of tenses when it comes to narrating past and future event.
Do we still have access to the gym after the membership ends?
The membership is ending but has not ended. ...
- 321
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
How to use future perfect tense with present or future tense
I would like to ask the difference between the usage of future perfect tense with present tense and the future prefect tense with future tense.
We will have eaten food when they come.
We will have ...
1
vote
1
answer
8k
views
Which is ‘more correct’: "It has been a month since you graduated" or "It has been a month since you ʜᴀᴠᴇ graduated"?
I am unsure on whether to use or to omit the word have in a particular sentence:
It has been a month since you graduated.
It has been a month since you have graduated.
I believe that it may be ok ...
user428161
0
votes
1
answer
30
views
What tense should I use in this sentence?
During the holidays, students should revise the topics that they have learned in grade 2. or
During the holidays, students should revise the topics that they learned in grade 2.
For me it looks more ...
0
votes
1
answer
12
views
I wish they thought about people who would/will live after them
It is clear what tense to use directly after I wish, but I haven't found a rule explaining what tenses to use in dependent clauses like in the example below:
I wish they thought about people who ...
- 109
0
votes
0
answers
501
views
Question about sequence of tenses: inside "until" clause [duplicate]
Mary says, " I'll wait until you make your decision."
Which would John say?
A) "She said she'd wait until I make my decision."
B) "She said she'd wait until I made my ...
- 1,382
0
votes
1
answer
36
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 ...
- 235
0
votes
1
answer
328
views
price to be advised and quoted separately
price to be advised and quoted separately
In the sentence above, is the word quoted a short form of to be quoted?
Should it be price to be advised and quote separately?
Edit to add more context: I ...
- 321
0
votes
3
answers
84
views
might get arrested
a. In those days, if someone criticized the government, they might get arrested.
b. In those days, if someone criticized the government, they might have gotten arrested.
Are both grammatically ...
- 2,689
-1
votes
2
answers
81
views
I wish you had told me that you are/were my son. Which is the correct option? [closed]
I wish you had told me that you are/were my son.
Here you are! I wish you had told me that you are/were here.
I wish I had been told that she is/was/were my sister.
Not sure about the sequence of ...
- 701
0
votes
1
answer
489
views
Which tense is used after the verb hope?
Which sentence is correct? Is there any rule for using any particular tense after the verb "hope"? We use these sentences in writing letters to each other.
I hope you will be hale and ...
- 74
1
vote
1
answer
23
views
announced that . . . shed/has shed light
In the following sentence, should "shed" or "has shed" be used?
Scientists announced on Wednesday that the drug shed/has shed new light on the treatment of amnesia.
- 5,894
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
tenses on both sides of "as"
Does the "as" in the following indicate two things happened at the same time?
If so, is it natural for one tense to be present perfect and for the other to be simple past?
A missing ...
- 5,894
0
votes
0
answers
41
views
Is the sequence of tenses in this example correct?
In the following sentence:
I didn't come back because I had thought you were dead.
the verb Be in the second dependent clause is a simple past tense, even though (the intention is that) it refers to ...
- 23
0
votes
0
answers
39
views
Verbs in time clauses and 'if' clauses
On this page, https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/verbs-in-time-clauses-and-if-clauses, there is a section called "Making hypotheses" It says: some conditional ...
- 543
0
votes
1
answer
86
views
Sequence of tenses. Present Perfect + Present or Past Simple (not reported speech)
we have a question:
Have you ever felt like you miss someone you don’t even know?
and we have an answer, which seems a bit confusing to me
I suppose, that I haven’t felt I miss someone who I don’t ...
- 189
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
sequence of tenses in this sentence
1 My husband stayed in Paris and I have gone to New York.
(Context: Helen is the wife who has gone to New York. She is talking
on the phone to Judy and tells her where she and her husband are at
the ...
- 4,122
1
vote
1
answer
96
views
combining tenses in "{Have/Did} you {see/seen} that I {have/had} sent you the report
I was told that most of them don't work. But I don't understand why.
Have you seen that I have sent you the report?
Did you see that I have sent you the report?
Did you see that I sent you the report?...
- 4,122
0
votes
1
answer
50
views
Have been eating something that was/is unhealthy
Should the following sentence use a present tense or past tense verb given the condition still exists?
I have been eating something that was/is unhealthy.
Since "have been" is a past ...
- 179