Questions tagged [tense]
This tag is for questions about tense, or location in time by grammatical forms and constructions rather than by semantics.
2,579
questions
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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. ...
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1answer
16 views
“You will acquire more and more knowledge while you work.”
You will acquire more and more knowledge while you work.
You will acquire more and more knowledge while you are working.
What is the difference between them? Which sounds more natural?
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1answer
21 views
had started or started in perfect tense?
This is my sentence:
It's been 2 years since the pandemic started.
So I guess you understand what I want to say. But I'm confused if I should just use 'pandemic started' OR 'pandemic has/had started'...
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1answer
36 views
Future real conditional (also first conditional ) in a reported speech: was or were?
Questions:
Q1:
When using a first real conditional in a reported speech, it has to be backshifted. But I don't know whether to use: was or were?
Q2:
Are the tenses of the italic words (met and went) ...
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33 views
See that the patient ___________ complete rest
See that the patient _________ complete rest
Options given are: A. having/ B.will have/ C. has / D.will be having
The given answer is "has"
I think has is used as the main verb here. Can we ...
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2answers
16 views
I didn't think you'd care about what I think/thought/would think of you
What form of the verb "think" should I use in the sentence I didn't think you'd care about what I _____(think) of you. to express "my" disbelief in "your" interest in &...
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2answers
72 views
Why can’t we use just “drive” instead of “to drive” in “Tom offered to drive…”?
Tom offered _____ us to the railway station
The given answer is "to drive".
After searching in a dictionary, I understood that "drive" is used as a noun, and "to" might ...
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1answer
23 views
will be exempt or will be exempted?
People performing "critical" tasks including air traffic controllers will be exempt under new rules.
I saw this sentence from a news article. I was taught that will be is followed by past ...
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1answer
20 views
“Was leaving” vs “Was to leave”
So I’ve came across an argument with some girl I was chatting with,
about a grammatical matter.
In the sentence:
“The kindest thing you ever did (was to leave) , (or) was leaving.
What is the ...
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1answer
25 views
Should I use singular or plural when describing the same thing in different year
Year
share of collected solid waste in total solid waste generated
2000
25%
2005
30%
2010
35%
2015
40%
2020
45%
I want to describe the data inside the above table, but I am not sure I am using ...
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vote
2answers
42 views
My question is regarding the correct use of “wish” for a situation that will happen in the future
I want to ask if I wish or desire to have something in the future, then is it correct grammatically to say
I wish I would go to that place in future?
But I have read somewhere that if you desire ...
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1answer
54 views
Is the tense correct in “I was talking about you for 2 years.”?
Once I've watched a video when reporter said to sportsman who hadn't been participating for 2 years, "I was talking about you for 2 years".
Does the reporter use the tense correctly? As far ...
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1answer
36 views
If I could go back in time, a time when I wasn't born/hadn't been born/didn't exist yet, I would
Which would be correct here and why?
If I could go back in time, a time when I wasn't born/hadn't been
born/didn't exist yet, I would...
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0answers
26 views
Tense in a sentence
Context: "I never imagined this letter accounts for the events of that evening."
The sentence is taken from a written testimony. The author states that she hadn't known a fact until she did ...
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1answer
34 views
Which tense should be used in the conditional construction?
Now move on to the next part if you succeed in practicing Part 1.
Now move on to the next part if you have succeeded in practicing Part 1.
Now move on to the next part if you succeeded in practicing ...
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1answer
29 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: ...
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11 views
correct tense for the verb, volunteer
(1) Today is the second day that I'm volunteering here. (I’m volunteering as I speak.)
(2) Today is the second day that I have volunteered here. (spoken as I wrap up the day of my volunteer work)
(3) ...
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0answers
16 views
A. The boy has been taken care of by his grandmother. B. The boy was taken care of by his grandmother [duplicate]
A. The boy has been taken care of by his grandmother.
B. The boy was taken care of by his grandmother.
Which one is correct?
And why?
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2answers
35 views
Tenses in day to day conversation
I understand there is no hard and fast rule about grammar rules or a single best way to learn grammar.
As a non-native speaker, I struggle with learning English grammar. I read books on English ...
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35 views
tense change when describing past events in a novel
In the novel, everyone ended up killing themselves or killing each
other through wars. This ends up triggering a world war and everyone dies. The whole planet became a wasteland and
there's little ...
1
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2answers
29 views
Present perfect or past perfect?
I have come across this:
Have you used a dictionary before posting your question?
Is it correct? Or should it be
Had you used a dictionary before posting your question?
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1answer
35 views
Should I add “will” in this after-clause?
Examples:
Example 1
If I become a member of the rock band after tonight's audition is finished, I will practice playing the guitar with them tomorrow night.
Example 2
If I become a member of the ...
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1answer
20 views
How to explain the usage of the present continuous instead of simple in this example?
I was reading "English Grammar in Use" and came across the next exercise:
Ben can’t meet us on Monday. (He / work) late.
The correct answer is "He is working late", but I cannot ...
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1answer
25 views
I am driving my parents' home for ten hours these days [closed]
I am driving my parents' home for ten hours these days.
Is this sentence correct & meaningful?
What I would like to write is I am driving my parents' home very often these days.And when I ...
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1answer
27 views
Did you know Sam was getting married? [closed]
Did you know Sam was getting married?
Why is the tense of "get married" a past tense if Sam is getting married in the future?
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2answers
45 views
Why is the past tense used in: "if you needed a new employee”?
Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems By Abhijit V. Banerjee, Esther Duflo
In fact, firms in almost every industry tend to be clustered. Suppose you threw darts at ...
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19 views
The last time i ate or i've eaten
"I don't remember the last time I ate a hamburger"
"I don't remember the last time I've had/I've eaten a hamburger."
which is the one with the correct grammar?
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0answers
20 views
what is the purpose of reducing an adjective clause
If we come across an adjective phrase reduced from an adjective clause, how could we know in what tense the participle, so-called a non-finite verb, takes place?
for instance:
Yesterday I met a man ...
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1answer
18 views
Any individual or business wants
This maintenance plan is suitable for any individual or businesses who want to start with an affordable solution.
I have been thinking about this sentence for a while. I am clueless where to use ...
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1answer
20 views
Tense Present Simple is used at the current moment of speech
Well, in one of the books, I found interesting rule. In which it was written the next thing:
For expressing action that appears at the current moment. When it
describes events appearing directly at ...
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1answer
12 views
“fifth day” + correct tenses of “clean”
I have made up the examples below.
(1) Today is the fifth day I'm cleaning the streets. (I’m cleaning as I speak.)
(2) Today is the fifth day I've cleaned the streets. (said as I wrap up the day of ...
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1answer
24 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 ...
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1answer
33 views
What is the usage of tenses in this paragraph?
I have a misunderstanding of usage of the tenses in this paragraph:
He didn't know what to make of his younger son. He'd thought they'd
been close. He'd made a special effort to spend time with Jack ...
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2answers
43 views
Speak vs speaking in a sentence
I read this sentence:
"You've frequently heard me speak of her."
As a language learner, if I say this sentence it would be like: " You've frequently heard me speaking of her."
I ...
0
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1answer
18 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 ...
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vote
1answer
23 views
Why the writer used present prefect with in the last year
I was reading an article and I noticed that the writer used in the last year + present perfect? As I learned we can't use the present perfect with last year, last week, etc.
The sentence: "in the ...
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1answer
38 views
“he wanted to know what love {is/was}”
Surrounded by memories, he wanted to know what love is.
I think this line is grammatically correct since the guy wanted to know what the definition of love is; but I wonder if was should be used here ...
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0answers
36 views
Is it correct to say “I have been leaving the cake uncovered for 2 hours and now it's very stale”?
I think this sentence “I have been eating for 2 hours and now I am so full” is not wrong.
Say, now is 12pm and I started leaving the cake uncovered at 10am and the cake was uncovered from 10am until ...
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1answer
41 views
What is the second form of “read”? [closed]
Recently my teacher told me that the second form of the word read (verb) is read, but I have some doubts. Can someone from you please tell me the second form of "read" and how is it ...
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2answers
35 views
come to mind or came to mind
When we were trying to find a medium to hold the cracks, the use of ceramics came to mind. With some ceramics in stock, we began to experiment different mixing ratio ...
I am learning English grammar ...
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1answer
18 views
what tense to use with 'until'
What verb tense to use with the adverbial clause 'until'?
for example
I had been swimming until nine o'clock yesterday
I swam until nine o'clock yesterday
I was swimming until nine o'clock yesterday
...
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1answer
38 views
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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7 views
correct tense of “do”: (last time I had done) or (last time I did)
(1) Last week was the last time I did skydiving.
(2) Last week was the last time I had done skydiving.
Which tense of "do" is correct?
3
votes
2answers
179 views
past perfect with 'when' [duplicate]
Alice walked to the door when the doorbell rang
Alice walked to the door when the doorbell had rung
In (1) it is clear in which order the actions occured. The doorbell rang. Then, Alice walked to ...
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26 views
Difficult in choosing and imagining tense
Imagine this scenerio:
A teacher is teaching in the classroom. I'm drawing him on the paper as a gift for his birthday. Later, I give it to him, which tense should I use in order to talk about the ...
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1answer
41 views
What grammar rule is applied in the following sentence: “The drilling platform **to be constructed** is determined based on the depth”
Could anybody help me out with the sentence I came across in my friend`s test:
The drilling platform to be constructed is determined based on the depth at which drilling must be carried out in a ...
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1answer
19 views
Is this tense form correct here or has the writer erred?
If the larger picture of ancient forager life is hard to reconstruct, particular events are largely irretrievable. When a Sapiens band first entered a valley inhabited by Neanderthals, the following ...
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21 views
Would + infinitive?
'Since then she would be nice. And when she would come back home with her tired children, she would
crouch for a while and would say that she loves them'
How can you English people know that I mean ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
Can you explain this sentence?
I've known you both since you were little, but little did I imagine it
would come to this.
The section that seems bizarre to me is here:
but little did I imagine
the rest is fine but this part ...
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2answers
35 views
Why is it 'Are you studying every night?' But 'Do you study every night?'
I know 'Are you studying every night?' is present continuous and I think 'Do you study every night?' is not, but why not? Why does this sentence work as both present simple and continuous when it's ...
