Questions tagged [tense]
Tense is location in time by grammatical forms and constructions rather than by semantics.
1,953
questions
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0answers
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Mixing tenses in one sentence
Can I use might and may in the same sentence? Am I mixing tenses incorrectly?
"To your pleasure, I might have changed and may not dwell in silly thoughts about love I used to a few years ago."
0
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2answers
43 views
Diference between these sentences
I have to correct this sentence :
I gave up drinking coffee. I don't drink it for a year.
An answer should be at present perfect or present perfect continuous.
I think the answer is "I gave up ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Present Perfect: been or gone?
Which one to choose:
(A) My father has never gone on holiday in summer.
(B) My father has never been on holiday in summer.
0
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3answers
18 views
The work is done
Can the phrase
The work is done
mean that the work is in the process in any context? Or does it always mean that the process of doing the work is finished?
1
vote
2answers
58 views
Which tense to choose: Past Simple or Past Perfect?
Which is correct:
We didn't play football yesterday. The match was canceled/had been canceled.
I think was canceled is correct, but the second? - I'm confused. Maybe firstly the match was ...
0
votes
1answer
21 views
What is the difference between “introduced”, “had introduced” and “have introduced”?
Although Immanuel Kant, one of the greatest thinkers in the history of philosophy, --- many pieces of technical terminology to articulate the themes of his critical philosophy, perhaps none --- more ...
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0answers
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About 'I didn't think'
In my exercise book, I have a question as follows:
Come on in, Peter, I want to show you something.
Oh, how nice of you! I ____ you _____ to bring me a gift.
A. didn't think, were going
B....
0
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0answers
21 views
which one or more are correct? [closed]
He just keeled over and died. We found out later that he'd had a heart attack.
We found out later that he's had a heart attack.
We find out later that he'd had a heart attack.
We found out later ...
2
votes
1answer
21 views
Can “every time” be used with present continuous
At school it us taught that "every time", is a marker that shows that some simple tense should follow. However, I wonder, if in some contexts continuous forms can be used as well.
For example, if I ...
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0answers
22 views
'so far' with simple past tense?
I am confused with the use of 'so far' wirh simple past tense in the following question. Please explain it to me.
What was the best part of your day, so far?
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0answers
24 views
Is it “The last book that I have read” or “The last book that I read”?
Today we had an assignment where I had to write about the latest book that I read.
Is it more correct saying "The last book that I have read" or "The last book that I read" ?. Then, is it correct to ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
I eat the potato because I like potatoes! [on hold]
I've been doing German lessons on duolingo, and this is one of the questions that came up:
This got me puzzled. What does "I eat the potato" even mean? I imagined a huge house-sized potato that I'm ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
I had an enjoyable night or I have an enjoyable night
When receiving text from a friend the next day after a dinner.
I replied "Thank you for your invitation. I had an enjoyable night."
Or should I reply "I have an enjoyable night"
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vote
2answers
43 views
Developed an application
Let's assume that an employee wrote the following sentence in the weekly report:
Developed an application [doing something useful]
Does this sentence mean that an application is ready? Or does it ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
After + present: “She says after I tell her the story”
Source: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
"He's trash!" my oldest friend, Allison, says after I tell her the story from my bed before my son wakes up.
I can't translate in ...
0
votes
2answers
46 views
When you {complete / have completed} your service
Which one of the following two sentences is correct?
1.) When you complete your service you will retire on pension
2.) When you have completed your service you will retire on pension.
I think ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
“Might as well be” vs “might as well been.”
Say, you're writing in the past tense. And you want to make a simile-like comparison.
Should you use "might as well be" or "might as well been"? And why?
Example:
She squinted at the typed words, ...
0
votes
1answer
75 views
“since 1954, we have” VS“ Since1954, we are” [closed]
Since 1954, we are continuously looking to develop new technologies, new processes and new solutions to better answer our customers' needs.
Since 1954, we have continuously been looking to develop ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
Which version of the word “dry” is suitable to question about the next step of instructions
Which one of these sentence is correct?
1) What do we need to do after we have dry our body?
2) What do we need to do after we have dried our body?
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0answers
27 views
Identifying the tense
What is the tense of the following sentence
If it were possible to get near when one of the volcanic eruptions takes place we would see a grand sight.
I think it is in the present tense.
...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Uncertain about future perfect
I'm trying to better acquaint myself with the future perfect tense, and I wanted to ask if the following sentence makes correct use of it:
I believe the pressure to impeach President Trump would ...
0
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0answers
73 views
“Have you been to school” or “…gone to school”?
Suppose a father wants to know whether his son went to school today or not at 5 PM after school hours.
Is it correct to ask:
Have you gone to school today?
Because his father has seen his son? Is ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Has seen? Had seen? Had saw? Has saw?
Could someone explain (in simple terms) which of the following are correct, and if they are correct, when to use them? Thanks.
has seen
had seen
had saw
has saw
Is this just a ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Is “has not been coming” or “he is not coming” correct?
If a person is supposed to come but not showing up for the last two days, then which sentence is grammatically correct:
He has not been coming for the last two days.
or
He is not coming for the ...
0
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0answers
22 views
How to answer a question begins with “has”?
Q: Has your daughter come back from Australia?
A: Yes. She ____ there for three years.
A. has stayed
B. stays
C. stayed
D. had stayed
I think the answer is D because "staying ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
The change of the tense in the main and the subordinate clauses
I have found the two sentences in Michael Swan's Practical English Usage .(page no 556)
1.This discovery means that we will have to spend less on food.
2 This Discovery will mean that we spend ...
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0answers
27 views
“you will get asked” (single action or multiple actions?)
Am I right that the phrase
you will get asked
can mean both single action and multiple actions depending on the context?
Can I use different grammar (e.g. different tenses) to clarify whether I ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
Would have made it
Plot: Cinder had been struggling for reaching the palace.
She would have made it, she thought, as the palace came into view,
towering over the city atop its jagged cliff.
I am aware of "would ...
-1
votes
1answer
27 views
Is “As of August 2019, Paley has been residing in a second-storey apartment near the shore on the island of Ibiza for the last 17 years.” correct?
As of August 2019, Paley has been residing in a second-storey apartment near the shore on the island of Ibiza for the last 17 years.
I am writing a biography of this person. I wrote the sentence ...
0
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0answers
23 views
Can “if that were the case” be always substituted with “if that was the case”?
I think I remembered reading that you can use the present instead of using the past tense to signify a hypothetical case. Is this the case?
"I am sure you would have said to her that you hated her. ...
0
votes
1answer
14 views
“is written” (single or habitual action, tense choice)
Let's consider the sentence containing the phrase "is written":
How this word is written?
Does this phrase mean
Single action: a concrete situation, how the word was written once by someone?
...
0
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0answers
26 views
expression of past time
Mavis was waiting at the air port to meet Stephen, her e-mail pal.
They had written to each other for more than a year now, and had
finally agreed to meet face to face. Mavis, who was going to ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
Change of pronouns in reported speech
I have a question that says: Report the following sentence-
‘Tomorrow we’re starting a new project,’ the teacher told us. [Direct Speech]
According to the rules:
(tense): present continuous (...
1
vote
2answers
45 views
work for VS Work in
I have heard the expressions such as
A David works for a bank
B I am working in a school
Are the expressions " David is working in a bank"
and "I work for a school" possible?
Is the change of ...
0
votes
1answer
16 views
Exceptions of “remember somebody doing something”
I studied the general use of "remember sb doing sth" such as
I remember him telling me in the hospital when we finally saw him at
three thirty in ...
But there are also some exceptions,
I ...
0
votes
2answers
19 views
Both present and past tense in one sentence
The stock starts up again, and it has a rise of six or seven points in
one day, followed the next day by perhaps eight to ten points—with
great activity—but during the last hour of the day all of ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
will be doing something
Jeffrey Epstein’s gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell spotted at In-N-Out Burger in first photos since his death
Maxwell was surprised she was located and told an onlooker:
“Well, I guess this is the last ...
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Using different tenses in single sentence!
here is a sentence from this animation Incredibles 2 :
Any thought we had about being Supers again is fantasy.
I can't understand the logic behind tenses here... we have thought and had which are ...
2
votes
2answers
115 views
Why are you late to class?
Yesterday I was in my class. Five students came late to class. I asked them " why are you late ? "
Their responses are given below
I have watched the cricket match.
I have been watching the ...
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0answers
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What is the meaning of “would + be ~ing”
What is the meaning of "would + be ~ing"?
I always have thought that "would" means "imaginary past or future".
But, in this conversation. I'm a little bit confused.
M:well, if it ain't Miss ...
1
vote
3answers
72 views
“Diabetes claims thousands of lives” vs. “Diabetes is claiming thousands of lives”
At the rate of one death every two minutes, diabetes ______ (claim) over 340,000 lives annually –just over half the death rate of cancer.
According to answer key, the correct one is claims:
At ...
0
votes
2answers
31 views
Are the tenses used incorrectly? [closed]
As I work on the content of the product, he is calling the software companies.
Are the tenses used incorrectly?
1
vote
1answer
21 views
Is this statement construction correct? — “I do understand [w], [x] and [y] much better than I do [z].”
I just wanted to know if this statement is correctly constructed. Here w, x, y and z variables are plurals. Suggest me better options.
Thanks.
0
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0answers
25 views
“would” vs “would have” in non conditionals
On the net,I am finding sentences that use "would have" in the present.Isn't this wrong?:
We estimate our software can save retailers up to 85 per cent of costs
they would have otherwise incurred ...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
“be in love” vs. “fall in love” in a perfect construction
Which one is correct grammatically?
I've been in love with you ever since I saw you
I've fallen in love with you ever since I saw you
0
votes
1answer
37 views
I certify the information I am submitting/have submitted/submitted (at the end of an application form)
I certify the information I am submitting in this application
package is true to the best of my knowledge and understand that false
information will constitute in having my application rejected ...
0
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0answers
27 views
Present simple and Past simple: exported or exports?
I have a question that makes me confused for a long time.
In the speaking test at school, I said: "India exported the most rice in the world". Then, my teacher said I should use: "India exports the ...
2
votes
3answers
604 views
How can I refer to something in a book?
I am trying to find the right words for the sentences.
(1) The book ____ "Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching".
(2) Charles Dickens writes/wrote in his book: "Suffering has ...
1
vote
2answers
35 views
Tensed verb in a non-finite clause
[Using all of the profane German I had ever heard], I ordered him to come out.
I was watching an English grammar video which stated that the the above sentence contains a non-finite clause in the ...
0
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0answers
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“didn't provide” vs “haven't provided” [duplicate]
Which of these two sentences is correct?
A: You didn't provide valid proof of delivery.
B: You haven't provided a valid proof of delivery.
I need to send an email to the seller about a claim ...
