Questions tagged [tense]
Tense is location in time by grammatical forms and constructions rather than by semantics.
2,455
questions
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1answer
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always and normally
I'm confused about what tenses I should use after always and normally.
You always leaves the milk outside
or
You always left the milk outside
(I was annoyed so I told him not to do it)
I usually buy ...
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2answers
34 views
When what we are talking about is a general idea, we use present perfect to refer to the past event instead of using simple past?
I have a feeling that when what we are talking about is a general idea, we use the present perfect to refer to the past event instead of using simple past.
Is that the way to look at it?
Is that a ...
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1answer
28 views
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
38 views
“While I was going to school” vs “While I went to school”
While I was going to school, I met him.
While I went to school, I met him.
Is there be any difference?
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1answer
29 views
What is the difference between: “I am reading a lot these days” and 'I have been reading a lot these days'?
What is the difference between: "I am reading a lot these days" and "I have been reading a lot these days"?
As far as I can tell, they can both describe temporary situations. Can I ...
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vote
1answer
21 views
“It's time that someone looked you in the eyes and told it to you straight.”
Could anyone tell me why the verbs "look and tell" are in the past tense in the following sentence:
It's time that someone looked you in the eyes and told it to you straight.
1
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1answer
25 views
Use of progressive in this situation incorrect?
The only thing you can do is eating it.
The only thing you can do is eat it.
The only thing you can do is jumping on it.
The only thing you can do is jump on it.
I am wondering if using the ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Should I write “has returned home” or “returned home”?
I am writing a diary to improve my English. I write it describing the situation at the end of the day. My grandmother arrived home yesterday.
How should I describe this?
My grandmother returned home....
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2answers
43 views
Is this sentence ambiguous? - If I were as hungry as my friend now, I would get the burger he ate
If I were the president, I would transform this country into a place that developed high-tech industries.
Even though the "developed" here is in the past tense, it is in a hypothetical ...
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0answers
25 views
Is there a name for the usage of the present simple tense in situations like “I think” or “I declare” etc?
I vaguely remember there was an explanation but I do not know how to find it. Basically, why do we say:
"I think", "I declare", "I expect", "I win" in ...
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1answer
19 views
Is the past simple tense used correctly here?
Look at this sentence: Before the twentieth century, more than a thousand people tried to reach the pole.
Is the present simple tense used correctly there? It seems (to me) that the past perfect tense ...
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0answers
21 views
having been vs being
In the following sentence, I am supposed to pick correct choice:
Several guests complained about (being/having been/to have been)
served cold food last night.
I think it should be having been but ...
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0answers
25 views
correct usage of “will have”
In this website: British Council Learn English, they sayā"We use will have when we are looking back from a point in time in the future, or looking back from the present"::
It's half past ...
4
votes
2answers
315 views
“Harold is booked on a flight leaving tonight.”
"Is" is for singular subject and for present tense, if the word "booked" is a past tense, why they use "is" instead of "was"? I agree that "leaving tonight&...
2
votes
2answers
48 views
I learn English every day or I study? [duplicate]
I know that to learn and to study work differently in non-continuous tenses.
I learnt English doesn't mean I studied English.
But what about the present? I hear people say "I learn English every ...
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1answer
62 views
Is it possible to speak English only using simpler tenses
Is it possible to be grammatically correct and describe any situation with use of Simple and Continuous tenses? With no use of Perfect and Perfect Continuous.
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2answers
28 views
the parking inspector was sticking this on my windshield
Man: What is it?
Woman: What does it look like? It's a ticket. I got a ticket.
Well, read it.
Man: Overtime parking from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Ah, I don't understand.
Woman: Well, you're not allowed ...
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1answer
19 views
present or past tense when referring books [duplicate]
You should read the book and see what he means/meant by......
Question: Do we use present or past tense for a book? And does it matter if it's fictional books (Shakespeare) or fact (political/religion)...
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1answer
27 views
doesn't or wouldn't let?
I'm wondering whether doesn't or wouldn't should be used.
Dad doesn't / wouldn't let Joanne watch TV as a punishment because she hasn't done her homework.
I'd appreciate your help.
3
votes
2answers
63 views
A question about the usage of “freeze”
I have a question about "freeze" as in weather conditions.
It is perfectly normal to say:
it rains a lot in Holland
it has been raining a lot lately
it rained last night
if I want to express ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
How many “have” forms are there in English? [closed]
This question may sounds a little bit weird. I am asking of variants as tense, grammatical or another meaning of "have(v1, v2, v3, been, to, gerund), had(v1, v2, v3, been, to, gerund), having(v1, ...
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0answers
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What's the Difference Between “I would've had to say” and “I would've had to have said”?
If they'd asked me, I would've had to say...
If they'd asked me, I would've had to have said...
What's the difference between them?
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1answer
16 views
Is continuous tense simply whatever tense of “be” + gerund
In the sentence "He was running.", is this past continuous tense or is it "He was [noun].", where running, a gerund, acts as the noun? It seems much simpler to think of it was the ...
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1answer
16 views
Have been use without time
āI have been in worse problemsā is this statement gramitically and syntactically correct?
I have tried searching in Google and also on quora
But I got both positive and negative answers
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0answers
15 views
Difference between will and will be
What is the difference between below sentences or they are completely same at all?
We will be looking at the questions very soon
I will focus on new questions
and
We will look at the questions very ...
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0answers
27 views
At what tenses can I use the “to be going to” and “used to” constructions?
There are constructions like:
to be going to
used to
be used to
get used to
At what tenses can i use them?
For example
"to be going to" in past simple looks well: I was going to...
But "...
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0answers
12 views
Questions regarding the differences between simple and progressive past
I have a few sentences in which I don't know which tense to use.
In the first sentence, I want to describe how a zoom meeting ended, but everybody stayed. So should I say:
I saw that everybody was ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Transition from simple past to present perfect
This is a part of my self introduction:
I taught English and Arabic, and this has led me to the decision that I have to give translation a try.
What I mean to express is that I have recently ...
1
vote
2answers
48 views
Tense with an improbable condition
What is the difference between these two sentences?
If he asked me, I would/'d stay.
If he had/'d asked me, I would/'d have stayed.
I think they both are conveying the same meaning, That is a ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
Use “would” and “could” to express possibility or politeness: do we need to change tenses in the subordinate clauses?
According to https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modal-would.htm, would can be used to create remoteness of possibility or probability remoteness between speakers (formality, politeness).
Here ...
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2answers
26 views
What is imperfective and perfective in English?
I know both of them are categorized under aspect, but do imperfective refer to "was doing" and perfective refer to "have done"? Then how about "have been doing" and "...
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1answer
14 views
Is the tense usage in “Bob has tried to help but can't crack the code” correct?
Context: Alice has some issues with an app. She talks to Bob who is familiar with the app, but he couldn't fix it and refers her to some experts group.
Alice initiates a conversation with the experts ...
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Can I use the present to express the future in this case?
When I'm writing an article, and I want to tell my readers what I'm going to do in the subsequent text, can I use the present, or do I always have to use a construction expressing the future? For ...
0
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1answer
40 views
Sequence of tenses for modal verbs?
Would, could, and might can be used to express possibility or uncertainty in the present or future (they are the "softer" and more "indirect", or more "polite" forms of ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Tense simplification: use would, could, might, should to express possibility, uncertainty, etc. in the present
The book Practical English Usage by Michael Swan says:
The tense in the subordinate clause tends to be simplified.
He gives some examples:
(a) If I (would have) had lots of money, I would give some ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
Is this right to say “It has been 20 years since they have seen each other.”
I saw this sentence below on the internet.
It has been 20 years since they have seen each other.
Is this right expression?
Should I collect like "It has been 20 years since they saw each other.&...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
William Shakespeare is known to “have” performed his own plays: with or without “have”?
When talking about people in the past, I've seen many online entries use "is known to" with "have" like:
"William Shakespeare is known to have performed his own plays."
...
2
votes
1answer
28 views
Can the past continuous be used this way?
1 I missed your call because I was helping fix Jack's car for one hour.
I am not sure if it's correct. It is supposed to mean though, "During that hour I was helping fix Jack's car, I missed your ...
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0answers
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On of the usages of the past continuous
If I say: 1 I was living in America for a year. (it will be a bad sentence on its own)
If I say: 2 I lived in America for a year. (it will be OK)
If I say: 3 You were eating this sandwich for an hour. ...
3
votes
3answers
304 views
Why is it not idiomatic to use the past continuous here?
I have found these sentences which were said to be wrong if used together. This is wrong:
They were a happy couple. Their relationship was lasting for life.
It should be
They were a happy couple. ...
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1answer
25 views
What tenses to use to speak about two longtime actions in the past happening at the same time?
A woman is speaking to a girl whose life as she knew it ended a month ago speaking about two things a girl was used to during her previous life happening at the same time, not one after the other. ...
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1answer
21 views
Five months ago, I {decided/have decided} to learn how to play the piano
Five months ago, I {decided/have decided} to learn how to play the
piano.
Is "Five months ago" a definite time?
I have read that when there is a definite time, I should use the simple past ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
When I will have
I recently wrote a letter of motivation with this sentence
Later on, when I will have more experience as a Salesperson, I plan on gaining responsibilities in...
Is this sentence correct ? Or should ...
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1answer
32 views
Choosing correct tense and article [closed]
Which one is correct?
I just sent them an email
I just have sent them an email
I just sent them the email
I just have sent them the email
Suppose I need to say this to my colleague, who is also in ...
0
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1answer
16 views
What is the differences between using “was” or “is” or even others like “will be” in these conversations?
I found that in discourse, "that" or other pronouns can refer to many things. Sometimes it is an idea or it can involve specific elements in the discourse.
But because I am not a native ...
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1answer
23 views
what's the difference between since + present perfect and since + past simple when since is not used as because
What's the difference between since + present perfect and since + past simple when since is not used as because?
I've seen both being used but never really understood what's the difference -between ...
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0answers
24 views
Do words such as “could have”, “should have”, or “might have” represent the past possibilities of the past?
We know that words such as could have, should have, or might have mean past possibilities.
When they are used in a noun clause following a verb, do they represent the past possibilities of the past?
...
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0answers
20 views
…and is/has gone a second later when
Jack is walking down the hallway when suddenly he hears footsteps just around the corner. He runs for the nearest door and is/has gone a second later when Pete and Toby come around the corner.
(The ...
1
vote
1answer
12 views
smiles as if it is/was/were a compliment
Ian grabs Lili as she tries to leave.
Lili: Let go of me, you sociopath.
Ian: You think I'm a sociopath?
Ian smiles as if it is/were a compliment.
It should be 'were', right? Even though the sentence ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views
The Present Simple instead of The Present Progressive in the speech of native speakers of English
Iāve found some examples (provided by native speakers of English) of using The Present Simple where according to all the grammars Iāve read The Present Progressive should have been used. Could you ...
