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.
15
votes
2answers
708 views
When did periphrastic tenses stop being tenses?
English sometimes has several different ways of expressing the same thing. For example, it can form a possessive either by using an old case inflection:
The dog’s tail was always wagging.
Or it ...
-5
votes
0answers
44 views
Check my understanding of Perfect Tense [closed]
"Jonas has been a top student throughout his days at school."
From the beginning of the school till the current time he has always been a top student. The school may still continue.
"Jonas ...
3
votes
1answer
7k views
“Being ran”, “being runned” or something else?
The past tense of run is ran. However, you couldn't say something was being "ran" poorly i.e. the business was ran poorly. However, saying "runned" would be wrong as well. What would be the word to ...
2
votes
1answer
120 views
Which is better: “was dead” / “died” / “has passed away” in my case? [duplicate]
I came across a question in Chinese@SE, which is about a status update of someone's cat. I asked the OP in the comment whether the cat was dead at that time:
I assume his cat was dead, can you ...
2
votes
2answers
57 views
Payment to be due within three months “of” that meeting
Does the word "of" in the context of an established point in time refer to before or after that established point in time?
-2
votes
0answers
26 views
is “i have had this kind of feeling before” grammatically correct? [duplicate]
i'd like to know whether this sentence is grammatically correct or not?
"i have had this kind of feeling before"
i'm facing problems using "have had" in a sentence.
does using "before" here make it ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
What tense is “would” in: [subject] would [verb] [other subject] [infinitive]
The phrase: "This attack would require the user to comply"
What tense is would require? Several thoughts were that it is somehow a present unreal conditional, but is it present?
2
votes
1answer
36 views
Which tense should I use when presenting a table of data?
I have a table and the description of the table as followed:
Table 7 presents the likelihood of OPT occurrences from the time
annotated sentences; V-RB refers to the sentences which contain
...
1
vote
0answers
40 views
When could we use perfect tense? [closed]
Could you recommend me any grammar taskbook like Murphy with a lot of tasks and explanation of perfect tense?
I haven't quite understood the meaning of the perfect tense and all cases when it should ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
“Changes would not be reflected” vs. “Changes will not be reflected”
Following Martha's advise I am splitting up a question Compound sentences, the punctuation and mooore.
When I describe consequences of some actions one can take, what form of the verb "will" should ...
6
votes
4answers
4k views
“Forgot” vs “Forget”
Is the following correct, or is there more to it?
"I forgot his name" — I knew his name, but I forgot it.
"I forget his name" — I keep forgetting his name. Where using "forget" basically means that ...
-2
votes
1answer
59 views
Is a sentence “I knew that someone will want to take it” correct? [closed]
It sounds right to me, but is it correct? Thanks.
0
votes
2answers
70 views
Combining past and future tense
I want to say that in the past I decided something that I will do in the future:
Already in my bachelor years I decided that I want work at [. . .] after my master.
Is want here correct, or ...
-2
votes
1answer
56 views
the meaning of Present Perfect sentence [closed]
As we know that We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now.
but i do not know What this sentence means?
" He has been to Georgia twice."
1
vote
3answers
652 views
Examples/references for not changing tense when using reported speech
I'm sure people are familiar with the "rule" that the tense is moved backward when using reported speech i.e. "I am..." becomes "He said he was..."
However, there are many cases where it is OK not ...
-4
votes
0answers
31 views
I need you to verify my answers. THX [closed]
So, below i am going to write down a text and what I believe is the answer. Please tell me where i am doing it wrong.
Although I thought 1) WAS GOING TO BE really hard, I got used to living without ...
-1
votes
0answers
27 views
Past perfect or past simple in this example? [closed]
I have some troubles with understanding here:
Remembering all the times he wouldn't die, why had he had to die now?
Could I just write:
Remembering all the times he wouldn't die, why did he ...
1
vote
2answers
60 views
Is the tense in the sentence correct?
The sentence is
I bought a bottle of milk on Friday night, and I found that it had gone sour the following morning.
I think the past perfect tense is weird with "the following morning."
Am I ...
-3
votes
1answer
63 views
When do we use “went bowling,” and when do we use “go bowling”? [closed]
In this dialogue what is the appropriate form?
A: Would you like to go bowling with me today?
B: I don't think so. To be honest, I really don't feel like going bowling today. I went bowling ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
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 ...
-1
votes
2answers
99 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.
-2
votes
2answers
121 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
...
0
votes
1answer
157 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.
6
votes
1answer
76 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?
0
votes
2answers
48 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
128 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 ...
1
vote
0answers
154 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
40 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
171 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
47 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. ...
-1
votes
1answer
108 views
“I been” or “I’ve been”? [closed]
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" ...
3
votes
2answers
91 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
141 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Which tense when talking about books?
Which tense should you use when talking about a book if it is narrated in both the past and present tenses? I am asking this because in To Kill a Mockingbird (Can you underline book titles here?) ...
0
votes
1answer
90 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
What part of speech is the “be + verb” here? What tense are these sentences in?
I shall have him be killed.
She is to be stoned for adultery.
What are the constructions be +verb called, grammatically? I feel like the above sentences are very adjectival in nature, more ...
45
votes
4answers
3k views
How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
Non-native speakers often get confused about what the tenses in English mean. With input from some of the folk here I've put together a diagram that I hope will provide some clarity on the matter.
I ...
1
vote
2answers
93 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 ...
2
votes
0answers
76 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 ...
21
votes
6answers
18k views
When do I use “can” or “could”?
When should I use can? When should I use could?
What is right under what context?
8
votes
3answers
10k views
What is the difference between “Have you seen this?” and “Did you see this?”
What's the difference between these two phrases?
-1
votes
1answer
96 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
votes
1answer
99 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, ...
-1
votes
1answer
77 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 ...
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
1answer
63 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
118 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 ...
-2
votes
1answer
107 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 ...
4
votes
5answers
847 views
If he is still alive today, he…
Suppose Jeff was born on 1/1/1982. He went missing a long time ago. At the present time, he could be either dead or alive, but nobody knows for sure:
1 "If Jeff is still alive today, he is 30 years ...
-2
votes
2answers
4k 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 ...
