A tense is a set of forms taken by a verb or a verb phrase to indicate the time of the action in relation to the time of the utterance.
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Present or past tense in writing a paper [duplicate]
I have a list to explain about it in my paper. Do I need to use present or past tense for this case? If I have to use present or past tense, why is that? Are there any rules on tense when writing ...
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2answers
43 views
Which one is correct? “I have work experience in ” or “I had work experience in”? [closed]
Which one is correct?
I have previous work experience in IBM in PHP domain during the period 2009-2010.
OR
I had previous work experience in IBM in PHP domain during the period 2009-2010.
6
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1answer
61 views
Which verb tense is used in OR compound objects?
For example:
We always get work done, regardless of what mood Bill or I is/am/are in.
Which tense of 'be' would be used here?
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2answers
45 views
Is reported speech reasonable in this example? [closed]
What is the right word to the gap (21)? (had/have)
That is about 400 years earlier than when the Inca Indians were
thought to (21) __ discovered the silver in the ground.
I think it's had as ...
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1answer
72 views
Can we use past perfect progressive in the context where present tense is predominantly used?
As I understand, past perfect is used to express an action that had happened before something else in the past. But in the paragraph I came across, there appeared past perfect progressive in the ...
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2answers
77 views
repeat the past conversation [duplicate]
My mum says:
You have to go back home tomorrow by 6pm.
The day after, do I tell my friend:
My mum said I have to go back home by 6pm
OR
My mum said I had to go back home by 6pm
...
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0answers
55 views
simple present or past in describing an event shown in a series of pictures
I'm correcting my 7th graders' writing assignment in which they're given three pictures of a fat boy who decides to go on a diet and finally becomes thinner. I've been told that using present simple ...
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31 views
what are the correct tenses “very different from what he … do” [duplicate]
I were talking with a person about certain musician and was going to mention a song, that was very different from what the musician... say, ever did. But then I wondered what is the correct tense to ...
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47 views
What does “I thought I was getting exposed” mean in a conversation? [closed]
My friend and I had a conversation where he said, "I thought I was getting exposed." He surely did some bad things.
My question is
Why not use "I thought I was exposed", or "I thought I got ...
3
votes
2answers
145 views
Are sentences like “She didn't so much say the word as hiss it” correct?
I think of this sentence as of a contracted version of She didn't so much say the word as [she] hissed it, treating as as a conjunction connecting two clauses. But this would require the past tense of ...
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45 views
use of tense when telling a story [closed]
I came across a retelling of Twilight, written by a Chinese teacher. The use of tense in that passage confuses me, but as I'm not a native speaker of English, I can't point out what exactly is wrong. ...
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94 views
Tense after 'before'
Could you tell me why the tense of the verb after 'before' here is in past, while "I'm" is present?
I never ast for no fill. I never ast to come at all. I'm here before I knew this here was here.
...
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2answers
78 views
Wording an 'If-Then' Statement Tense
I need help phrasing the last part of this conditional sentence (assume I can't change the first conditional statement):
If I died tomorrow, I would have wanted to go skydiving.
or
If I ...
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1answer
91 views
“I been” or “I’ve been”?
In the famous song Every Breath You Take by The Police, Sting sings:
Since you've gone I been lost without a trace…
I admit that I am not some expert in English Grammar, but this "I been" ...
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1answer
120 views
Using 'will' vs. 'would' in this sentence
I'd like to know which one of the following is correct:
I would like to have a job which I will like and which will earn me a lot of money.
I would like to have a job which I would like and ...
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0answers
74 views
A confusing use of a negative [closed]
I'm Russian and I don't understand this sentence:
"It was obvious that there would be no shortage of WPF books in the marketplace."
So, were there books in the marketplace (they exist) or not (a ...
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1answer
83 views
“Has received” in past tense sentence? [duplicate]
"It occurred to me that no Korean has ever received the Nobel Prize in Literature." In this sentence, is "has received" right, rather than "had received"? Is it because "that" indicates continuation ...
2
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1answer
84 views
Improper expressions of the future progressive
A thread on ELL makes me reconsider how I might naturally misuse other tenses when the future progressive is intended.
For example, I might pass out work assignments in the following ways:
"John, ...
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1answer
71 views
Can 'must have -ed participle' have the present meaning?
In an Oxford dictionary, ‘must have –ed participle’ is used for supposing a past event.
He must have known (= surely he knew) what she wanted. I'm sorry,
she's not here. She must have left ...
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1answer
56 views
Isn't this against tense agreement?
When I got home yesterday, John called and said he will arrive next
week. (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia says the sentence above is possible. Does it not break the tense agreement when there’s no ...
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1answer
106 views
Can we use future continuous in the following sentence?
"I have instructed that the cheque latest have to be issued by 15th every month, is there any problems? Please voiced out earlier if there's any issues in future. This will be the last time I'll be ...
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1answer
102 views
Why 007 said “You weren't using it”? [closed]
I've watched 007 skyfall. Had one scene, that Agent was driving and 007 sat beside her. She drove very fast and then car side mirror was removed because crashed with something beside the road.
after ...
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2answers
77 views
Does 'tense' fit into Lexicology?
I am trying to assess errors regarding lexicology in an English-as-a-second-language-learner's spoken English. Does the use of tense fall into the 'Lexicology', Phonology, Syntax or Discourse? I need ...
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1answer
148 views
Tense agreement in reported speech
Jack didn't tell me that he __ my chocolate.
eats
ate
had eaten
has eaten
I have a hard time figuring out which one to choose and why.
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2answers
1k views
When do we use “had had” and “have had”? [duplicate]
I have seen several sentences in English where some writers have written had twice in a row. I am a bit confused about when the grammar calls for using had had.
For example:
I had had my car ...
2
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2answers
168 views
Can we use should /would and /could in Future perfect tense
I would have finished my home work by evening .
He should have been more careful.
Can these be used as future perfect tense ?
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2answers
359 views
Difference between present tense and present continuous tense when using “is” and “are” [closed]
He is my brother.
They are my friends.
These two sentences are in the present tense, but I thought the verbs "is" and "are" were used only in the present continuous tense. If this is so, how then ...
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vote
3answers
160 views
Choosing verb tenses
Can somebody please help me understand the whole timeline thing when it comes to choosing verb tenses?
Today, I asked a friend if he wanted anything because I was going to Starbucks for lunch. He ...
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2answers
71 views
'I knew you are John's brother' vs 'I knew you were John's brother'
Suppose you are John's brother, and I talked with you several days ago. I knew that when I talked with you. Now I'm meeting with you again and want to tell you I knew then that you are John's ...
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3answers
47 views
Rephrasing “A are what is B” to “A are what are B”?
I see sentences like
They are what is remembered.
More troops are what is going to be needed.
And got me wonderin': Can I rephrase them this way?
They are what are remembered.
More ...
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3answers
140 views
Infinitive vs. Past Simple for short technical annotations [duplicate]
I use source control management software at work. When I commit some changes, I annotate them with the bare infinitive like this:
"add new feature", "fix bug #10012"
I note that some of my ...
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2answers
71 views
“Until you apologised” vs. “until you have apologised” vs. “until you apologise”
What is the most correct way of saying to someone that I won't speak to him before he has apologised.
I won't speak to you until you have apologised for what you have done.
I won't speak to ...
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2answers
106 views
Do I need to use past tense here?
I'm writing a personal statement in which I describe a course I have learned in my college.
Should I use "the course IS really difficult" or "the course WAS really difficult" ?
Since I still think ...
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3answers
109 views
Is there a tense issue in this sentence? [closed]
The garbage bags slipped from her hands, crashing to the ground.
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1answer
39 views
helping business the “online” way
can I use this sentences in my slogan?
helping business the "online" way
or
growing business the "online" way
I get the idea from this sentences "helping business the right way."
or I ...
1
vote
2answers
154 views
What tense is “have been are”?
Here are some examples:
Meanings have been are still in constant flux. (Source)
I'm afraid to say that in the past the police have been are too keen to caution people. (Source)
That's ...
3
votes
3answers
131 views
What tense should be used when looking at an old photo?
Commenting on a photo which was taken a few years back:
Question:
Is this you?
Should I reply:
Yes, this is a few years back.
or:
Yes, this was a few years back.
Which of the ...
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votes
3answers
93 views
Should I insert is/was/were after an 'if'? [closed]
I have the following sentence:
if the foo is/was/were a bar and the baz truck a qux, how does the
working of a baz relate to coaching?
Should it be is/was/were? Searching the internet just ...
7
votes
3answers
211 views
I suggested we go together / I suggested we went together. Which is the correct usage?
I am having trouble with something very specific and I found both in usage but one has to be better than the other. Right?
He wanted to go back to Kazakhstan, so I suggested we go
together.
He ...
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votes
2answers
87 views
“I stay in Canada” vs. “I will stay in Canada” [duplicate]
Situation: I am in Canada and will go back to Hong Kong next week. So, I want to tell my friends that "I will stay in Canada until the 6th of March".
Question: I do not know if the word will should ...
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votes
1answer
61 views
“What I've” vs “What I” [duplicate]
I'm titling a post I'm writing as:
What I've Learned At {company name}
I'm struggling, however, with trying to figure if I should drop the I've for just I to make it:
What I Learned At ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
Is “he should be seventeen” correct?
Is the following sentence correct to describe a young man?
He should be seventeen.
My colleague was absolutely sure it was correct. I disagreed, so we had a bit of an argument. I would agree on ...
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votes
1answer
98 views
Reported Speech Tense Choice [closed]
Which of the followings sentences would be the best choice?
The victim explained how he became addicted five years ago...
His addiction is so bad that he is unable to keep a steady ...
4
votes
2answers
187 views
could versus be able
Let me start by saying what is written in grammar books on this issue and after that I will put my question. (Take heed that this usage of "could" ONLY refers to the past and ONLY to affirmative ...
4
votes
1answer
243 views
“How did you know?” vs. “how do you know?” distinction
When someone makes an assertion, the distinction between "how did you know" and "how do you know" seems to be that "how did you know" implies that the person in question is correct in their assertion. ...
3
votes
4answers
218 views
I often use “is being” and “are being” in my sentences. Is it correct grammatically?
For example "lasers are being used to treat different skin conditions". It is a passive form without a subject. Please guide.
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1answer
147 views
'Has found' versus 'found' [duplicate]
When would one say "she has found her keys" as opposed to "she found her keys"? Are they equivalent, or at least partially equivalent? I'm not a native speaker and have been unable to find a pattern ...
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1answer
63 views
“X is famous” vs. “X was famous” [duplicate]
When saying a sentence like:
Nikola Tesla __ famous because he was a genius.
Should the blank be replaced by is or was?
Or is it dependent on when the person is/was famous? If so, what exactly ...
0
votes
2answers
296 views
Is “have been being investigated” in the following sentence grammatically correct?
I need to know whether the following sentence is grammatically correct or not. Specifically, I am unsure about have been being investigated part.
Do the times that I am using match each other?
...
1
vote
4answers
219 views
“I came from Italy” or “I come from Italy”
If I originally lived in Italy and then moved to the United States and currently live in the United States. Then somebody asked me where I am from. I say:
I come/came from Italy.
Should it ...
