A set of forms taken by a verb to indicate the time and/or completeness and continuance of the action in relation to the time of the utterance.
0
votes
1answer
72 views
Proper to add tense to acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms
What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? asked about pluralising acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms, but is there a standard way to add verb endings e.g. -ing and -ed (what are these ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Talking about late husband
I heard a lady talk about her late husband today and was curious about her verb tense usage.
She said,
"He was a loving father. He always took the kids out on weekends. He would stop whatever he ...
1
vote
3answers
97 views
Reporting an event right after it takes place
When reporting an action that's just taken place, would it be okay to use simple present and present perfect?
She wishes to buy some clothes, so I've placed an order for her.
I feel like I ...
-3
votes
1answer
166 views
past perfect and past continuous [closed]
Which of these is correct?
Before he had come to the factory, Tom was studying at the University of London.
Before he came to the factory, Tom had studied at the University of London.
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votes
1answer
69 views
What are the functions of each part of the principal parts?
I'm having trouble understanding each participle. I also can't find an explanation that I understand.
I would like to know from you the function of each part of the principal parts:
Present
Present ...
2
votes
3answers
216 views
Answering past simple question with past continuous
For example,
— What did you do yesterday?
— I was working.
I presume this is not grammatically correct; however, I often reply in this way (I'm English). Also vice versa: "What were you doing ...
-1
votes
2answers
139 views
Possibility of using either verb tense and convey the same meaning
I have two questions:
Q1: Which one(s) of the sentences below, can be grammatically correct and why?
And if there are more than one correct sentence, does the meaning change when the verb tense is ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
very specific tense aspect configuration
I recently tried to translate a German sentence to English and I failed. I won't give you the German version but rather the background configuration of it.
Two people talk about an event that has ...
2
votes
4answers
118 views
“Would” in a reported statement
I am teaching some students changing original quotes into reported speech. Well, one of my students asked how the following quote can be changed into reported speech:
I would like to swim.
From ...
5
votes
1answer
320 views
Is every sentence in a tense?
I know that "tense" indicates time. If that is true, then not every sentence can be indicated of its tense.
Please review these sentences:
"If I could go to the market , I must have taken breakfast ...
6
votes
3answers
587 views
What tense is “If I were a bird, I could fly”
The sentence is not referring to any time past, present of future. It's just referring to an imaginary condition which has never existed and seemingly will never exist. Still, the sentence and other ...
3
votes
3answers
444 views
Why don’t people ever say “I have wanted to ask”?
Why do people never say the following:
I have wanted to ask. . . .
Maybe it would be better to ask whether it’s correct to say:
I have wanted to ask. . . .
But really I think I’ve never ...
-1
votes
2answers
192 views
Is this sentence using tenses correctly? [closed]
If such stage was completed based on un-signed English financial statements (USEFS), the doer is to initial all pages of the USEFS.
Is the above sentence grammatically correct with two different ...
-1
votes
1answer
343 views
Replacing past perfect tense with past tense
For had fallen in a when-clause, can the past perfect tense be replaced with the past tense?
Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only
one taught by a ghost. ...
5
votes
1answer
180 views
Tense used with statistics
I would like to place a statistics in front of the sentence, followed by the agency that has reported it. The findings and reports were done many years ago. Which of the two is correct and why?
...
1
vote
0answers
89 views
past tense for future [closed]
Which one is ok?
'I found out she is not going this Friday'
'I found out she was not going that Friday'
'I've found out she's not going this Friday'(Friday is in the future).
Thanks for help.
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votes
3answers
136 views
“We had entered” vs “we entered” [closed]
I am not sure whether we can use two different instances of had in the following sentence:
When we had entered the ground, the circus had already begun.
According to my understanding, it ...
3
votes
5answers
154 views
Right tense for conditional event in nondescript time?
What is the right tense to describe an event that might have occured, be occuring or occur in the future, if (not) for something that happened in the past?
Unike, in the examples, which anchor the ...
3
votes
2answers
124 views
Tenses and completeness of actions
When one uses simple past tense for some action, does it imply that the action is complete?
For instance, when you say “I wrote my article yesterday,” does this imply that at this moment you have a ...
1
vote
6answers
336 views
Usage of past participle in “He said he thought it having had seen my medical record” [closed]
I'm trying to work out if this sentence is correct, especially the usage of "having had seen".
He said he thought it having had seen my medical record.
2
votes
1answer
326 views
Mixed tense sentence + When clause
Is it legal to write something like this:
When I'm trying to post a form system alerts me with a warning message.
I've seen people use this kind of writing.
EDIT
I don't know why (perhaps ...
0
votes
2answers
345 views
The nuances of Future Continuous vs Present Continuous
Consider the following:
I ran into a problem and will be staying here[in this house, this room, etc.] for a couple more days.
I ran into a problem and am staying here[in this house, this ...
21
votes
1answer
984 views
How do you conjugate Early Modern English verbs (other than present tense)?
I was wondering how one might conjugate verbs in early modern English in various tenses. I am aware of the fact that for second person and third person singular specifically, the verb endings are -est ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Present and past participle in same sentence
Is anything wrong about this phrase "We build software solutions designed for scalability"?
I think there is, because the tenses are not consistent.
4
votes
3answers
263 views
*Joking* used in continuous form
"I'm only joking" and "She wasn't joking".
Why is the verb to joke used in the present continuous, instead of the present simple tense? Is it because it's a dynamic verb?
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votes
4answers
1k views
I lived vs I used to live
I cannot see any difference between these two sentences. I assume both express the same but what is the difference? I thought that "used to" is used to describe an action that was happening in the ...
1
vote
3answers
3k views
When we entered, he had been there
So I heard this sentence and also few contradictions about that.
Does it mean that when they entered, he was already gone because he had there been before them?
Or he just was there before them and ...
4
votes
2answers
203 views
“He lies” or “he is lying” for non-habitual actions
Reading the last pages of Harry Potter 1, Harry is pulled to confront a mirror. When he is asked about what he sees, he invents something and lies to the guy. At this time, the master says the ...
0
votes
2answers
451 views
As yet + past simple/present perfect
I was unable to find out the rules here and what is the difference:
As yet, he has not received the package.
As yet little was known of
the causes of the disease.
1
vote
3answers
415 views
Past simple and present perfect
In news reports, we often read or hear events introduced with the present perfect, and then the past simple like this:
The film star Jim Cooper has died of cancer. He was 68 and lived in Texas.
...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Went to vs have been to
What is the difference between saying,
I have been to New York and LA;
I went to New York and LA?
I know one is simple past and the other is not. I am looking for how they are used from a ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Question about interrogations in past tense
In regard to this answer, my question is similar but that answer is not clear. I want to know why we use base form of verb, e.g. 'go' to form the past tense instead of past form such as 'went'?
...
2
votes
3answers
158 views
Why two different tenses in the report from Yahoo News?
The Heart Attack Grill's owner Jon Basso tells ABC News that the woman
is currently recovering in the hospital. Basso told ABC that he
himself has eaten at least one single bypass burger each ...
1
vote
2answers
713 views
Difference between ''He wishes it didn't…'' and ''He wishes it wouldn't…''
I was teaching first and second conditionals to an intermediate English class the other day, and then we started with 'wish' statements.
We talked about famous people and their wishes. For example: ...
2
votes
3answers
663 views
Is “has died for several years” correct?
I know it is correct to say
He has been dead for three years.
I've learned the present perfect tense, and it's said that non-continuous verbs are allowed. Is this sentence correct as well?
...
1
vote
1answer
459 views
Correct tense for “I wish I had worn socks today” [closed]
I had an argument in the office today, about structuring something I said about not wearing socks.
I said the first of the four lines below, then everyone had their input. All the arguing gave three ...
2
votes
2answers
5k views
“I had sent you”
I received the following email today, we discussed the report before the email where I told the person that I hadn't(also can I use hadn't here) received it. I was wondering if it's all grammatical. ...
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votes
1answer
2k views
“Had you been there for quite sometime?”
Can we say "Had you been there for quite some time?" without saying "before" this and that? Or should we rather say "Were you there for quite some time"?
2
votes
1answer
350 views
Describing Historical Events
When we describe historical events, like events related to the Roman empires, Persian empires, etc., what is the best way to describe peoples' thought with a connection to the present?
People ...
4
votes
2answers
987 views
Present perfect for past action with present effect
If I seem tired, can I say: "I haven't slept last night"? If not, why have I been told that we use present perfect for actions that have present effects?
8
votes
5answers
2k views
Future tense in conditional clauses
All the textbooks I have ever come across during the course of my studying English emphasize that future tense should not be used in conditional clauses.
For example,
If it rains in the evening, ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
“If we were to agree” vs “If we are to agree”
In an undecided situation that needs to be discussed, which one of the following seems more accurate? Are they interchangeable?
If we were to agree on this deal, do you think we can start ...
1
vote
2answers
483 views
Simple Past or Past Perfect
If I went to a place last night where I needed to show an id, but I forgot to have it on me. So if in the morning I was speaking to a friend(reporting on what happened), which one of the following ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Past participle of “spit” [closed]
Which is the past participle of spit: spat or spit? And how many examples can we come up with where a verb is changed in the simple past but unchanged(spelt like in the present) in the past ...
4
votes
4answers
406 views
“If” and “would be” when talking about future events
I am watching a basketball game right now, and the team that I am rooting for is losing. I want to say that if they win, that would be something. Which one is the correct way to state it?
If Miami ...
