Questions tagged [tense-agreement]
The tense-agreement tag has no usage guidance.
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Can I use "present perfect" here instead of "past simple"?
Below is the grammar question in my book:
Haida people .... to represent their culture to the outside world even at a time when they .... from devastating population loss due to introduced diseases.
...
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If there has ever been a person who has been/was... it is...?
Choosing to ditch the dye was the best decision I’ve made in a long time! I’m 58 years old. I grew up in my grandmother’s “beauty shop”. That’s what we called it back then. My grandmother, my mother ...
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Past perfect and present simple in one sentence
Can I use past present and present simple in one sentence?
For example, can I say “It is unfair because I had never received those negative comments before”?
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It won't have BEEN millions... (making assumptions about the past)
I am still unsure about when to use 'would' and when 'will' while making conjectures about the events in the past. Is the difference merely in the degree of certainty?
Besides, I am not sure what ...
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So that without modal verb to express purpose
Can we ommit the modal verbs in the following sentence?:
"Maggie called the fire department so that the firefighters could/would put out the fire".
I tend to use a modal verb after "so ...
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1
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Why is 'is' used in this sentence rather than 'was'?
Here are the sentences :
Since life began in the oceans, most life, including freshwater life, has a chemical composition more like the ocean than fresh water. It appears that most freshwater life did ...
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Is the expression "I'm wearing shorts and sandals in the morning" correct?
The time expression "In the morning" can imply a different moment, not necessarily something which is happning at the moment of speaking.
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2
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Using present tenses after past tenses
Some teachers say that it's incorrect to use present or future tenses after past tenes, for example,
"She didn't tell me that it's not working."
Is that correct or I should say
"She ...
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Subjunctive mood / Unreal grammar "If I were" with "when"
Which of the two sentences is grammatically more correct/consistent?("drink" or "drank")? 1. "If I were in Paris, I would be sitting at a cozy café, enjoying the beautiful ...
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"Most people had come to accept that war <was> <would be> inevitable."
a sentence from extra examples of item #7 on oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
(1) Most people had come to accept that war was inevitable.
Does Past Perfect mean "most people coming to accept" ...
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Mixing different forms of a noun in a paragraph?
I am sking if it is allowed to mix the singular form, the plural form, and "the + n" form of a noun within a paragraph, and whether the meaning changes at all.
For example, are both (1) and (...
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I was honored to be mentioned by such a wonderful boxer. (vs. to have been mentioned)
I was honored to be mentioned by such a wonderful boxer.
I was honored to have been mentioned by such a wonderful boxer.
Which one is more grammatical or idiomatic expression? Or both of them are ...
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72
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Reported speech within conditionals - to backshift or not?
I might be very wrong in what I'm about to ask, so sorry in advance.
Imagine someone says to you:
I like cats.
Now you want to report what they said to some other guy/gal but with an added twist - ...
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Present Perfect or other tenses at he closing of a broadcast (show)?
At the end of a broadcast the presenter often says:"It's been "Bridge to English". All the best and see you soon!"
If it were to be put across with a single sentense noting the ...
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Tense in the subordinate clause when the main clause in the present perfect tense
Which tense should I use in the subordinate clause when the main clause in the present perfect tense.
I'm thinking about this particular scenario: "I've seen a great nation fell." versus &...
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Should we check the 'tense agreement'? If so, what' the difference in the meaning?
When we rewrite the passive-reporting verbs from one structure to another, should we check the tense agreements? **'⇒'**are answers in text book, however, considering the tense agreement, '*' also ...
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What is the right tense form here?
This is an idea he had introduced in his article which would appear six years later in a book by a different author.
Are the tenses right in the sentence? Here, we are talking about the second action ...
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Using two tenses in the same sentence
While reporting a past even as a reason for the current action, should I use past tense or present tense?
For example,
"The parents curse the young man who eloped with their daughter"
Is ...
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2
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Why does the dictionary use 'pertained' rather than 'pertains' in this sentence?
When I googled 'pertain definition', it gives the explanation
be in effect or existence in a specified place or at a specified time
and this sentence:
their economic circumstances are vastly ...
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145
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Do the tenses have to agree in this case?
Let's go straight to the point with this example:
I was trying to figure out what this mess is/was about.
I know that the two verbs have to agree, so 'is' in this case sounds wrong. But I wanted to ...
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Tense and meaning of, oh, also
I’m wondering about the progression of the tense and about how this shows time for the object moving in time.
Oh, Also, I took all of the paper out of my office and put it in the middle room so that ...
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Present simple and past together in one sentence>
" Dear sir:
I, the undersigned, hereby inform you that I had already submitted the electrical drawings for the subject-mentioned project. "
-*
The writer wants to point out that he surely ...
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Is it possible to use past tense IF with hypothetical with present result?
I am talking to my buddy about going somewhere and I am imagining going if his sister went.
I would go if your sister went.
I would go if she would go.
If that were the case, then you could count me ...
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"Winds" or "wound" the string before tying a knot
Encountered the following question:
Steven ____ the string tightly around the stack of books before tying a dead knot.
wind
winds
wound
winding
I feel that both "winds" (present tense) and ...
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Verb tense agreement - spring back
Example sentence:
The material can be squeezed and stuffed into any shape, and still sprung back to
its original form.
Is sprung back correctly used in the sentence? Should it be spring back?
What I ...
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Have you ever told your friend Peter that you wanted/want to go to the US for further education?
You have been wanting to go to the US for further education. Your parents ask you:
Have you ever told your friend Peter that you wanted to go to the US for further education?
Have you ever told your ...
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You could / would do - verb tense
I wonder if the present conditional is the correct verb tense for my sentence. If it is, is it better to express the word would or could? If it is not, what verb tense should I use?
For example, your ...
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146
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Reported speech with no change in tense
I am doing homework about this topic and I don't know how to turn these statements into reported speech:
Direct speech: The concert is cancelled.
Julian said that the concert is cancelled.
Or
Julian ...
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Is this sentence correct in terms of structure: "By the time we get to school, we have been speaking a few years."
"By the time we get to school, we have been speaking a few years."
This sentence is from a text in reply to a question: "What do native English speakers learn at school in the English ...
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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 ...
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Mixed tense "In this case, it is killing my blood platelets, and they fell to a dangerously low level."
I have been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, meaning that my
immune system will act on its own and attack my own body. In this
case, it is killing my blood platelets, and they fell to a ...
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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 ...
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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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"Where did you read this?" as a reply to "I have read that ..."
I have read that...is...
Is 1 or 2 the correct reply to this?
Where did you read that?
Where have you read that?
Does the tense of the question change between asking it in a real-life conversation ...
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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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If you asked him what his name was/is
Are these sentences interchangeable?
If you asked him what his name was, he wouldn’t tell you.
If you asked him what his name is, he wouldn’t tell you.
I think it is wrong to use “is” in this ...
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The application of tense agreement
Do the rules of sequence of tenses apply to an adjective clause? Can the tense of an adjective clause be different from the main clause? The examples are as follows.
The latest preliminary report I’...
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She admitted/admits that she had stolen
Are my examples grammatically correct?
She admitted that she had stolen the money.
She admits that she had stolen the money.
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hear someone cry vs hear someone crying
Last night I heard a lady cry/crying.
My book says the correct answer is cry.
.
Last night I heard a man scream/screaming.
My book says the correct answer is screaming.
.
I couldn't get it.
How do we ...
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using "after" + Past Simple + Present Perfect
Is it okay to use "after" with Past Simple in the subordinate clause and then Present Perfect in the main clause?
For example:
After Marry married John, Jack has been very reticent about ...
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They used to think we are/were siblings?
I happened to see this sentence the other day:
They used to think we are siblings.
Is this correct usage? I have a feeling that it is wrong. But If it is correct, Is there a meaning difference if I ...
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Can i use present tense with past tense sentences?
(a) What made me sad is that he didn't say anything.
(b) What made me sad was that he didn't say anything.
In this sentence, are both (a) and (b) possible for the main verb position?
Or is only (b) ...
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Conditional 2 and harmony of tenses
While teaching yesterday I came across two sentences and I got stuck on them.
If somebody offered me to buy a fur coat, I would say that it is too expensive.
OR
If somebody offered me to buy a fur ...
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"I wish I knew what was (is) wrong with my car" - which is correct? (subjunctive mood)
Which one of the two forms of verb will make the following sentence idiomatic?
I wish I knew what _____ wrong with my car.
Is
Was
I think it should be is because the sentence is in subjunctive ...
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Does it make sense to use the present for something that happened 10 years ago?
Does it make sense to use the present for something that happened 10 years ago?
"Britain makes the most advanced airplane. (It was made 10 years ago)"
In what situation would it make sense?...
user88427
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Can cause and effect be used in the same tense? [closed]
Are these tenses used correctly in these sentences?
The prospects of self-isolation and the implementation of quarantine have brought about the need to accumulate food supplies, which has resulted ...
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Use past and present tense in the same sentence
This topic was discussed before, and I do know that tenses should agree when they're in the same clause, but hear me out:
"I realized that, in order to make a real difference, I need an MBA."
My ...
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Reported speech: When to not change "was" to "had been"?
Recently, I was studying about reported speech and while thinking about a few "directly" reported constructions came to mind.
I'm trying to change those sentences to reported speech.
Barbara ...
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Tense of subordinate clause after "I confirmed that"
Which is best among the following sentences, and why?
1. I confirmed that now the page was updated.
2. I confirmed that now the page is updated.
3. I confirmed that now the page has been updated.
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"I was not sure when you were coming back" or "I was not sure when you would come back"?
I am taking a Spanish(*) course with a private teacher and they were on vacation these days. Since I was not totally sure whether my teacher was back from their trip, I sent a message today to check ...
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