Timeline for "He didn't know where New Jersey was"
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
24 events
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| Jul 26, 2023 at 10:59 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | Although 'He didn't know where New Jersey was' and 'He didn't know where New Jersey is' are both acceptable and nigh on identical in meaning, while 'He didn't know where his brother was' and 'He didn't know where his brother is' are both available with possibly different meanings, 'I thought the name of this colour [pointing] is vermilion' sounds unnatural to my ears. | |
| Jul 24, 2023 at 15:23 | history | edited | Edwin Ashworth |
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| Dec 31, 2019 at 9:00 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackEnglish/status/1211935161723629568 | ||
| Dec 31, 2019 at 6:56 | history | edited | Justin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| S Jul 4, 2019 at 22:01 | history | post merged (destination) | |||
| Nov 23, 2018 at 4:46 | comment | added | Pacerier | @F.E., Seeing that the other has 4 votes and 5 votes, Do you have better sources and more conclusive evidence other than "A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985)"? | |
| May 18, 2014 at 21:49 | comment | added | F.E. | Here are two posts on the topic of backshift: english.stackexchange.com/a/149167/57102 , english.stackexchange.com/a/150743/57102 , which might be helpful. | |
| Apr 19, 2014 at 22:01 | history | edited | F.E. |
The OP's question is about backshifting.
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| Apr 19, 2014 at 19:45 | answer | added | Fraser Orr | timeline score: 1 | |
| Apr 19, 2014 at 19:04 | answer | added | rogermue | timeline score: 1 | |
| Feb 20, 2014 at 15:46 | vote | accept | Blake Mulvihill | ||
| S Jul 4, 2019 at 22:01 | |||||
| Feb 9, 2014 at 9:55 | answer | added | F.E. | timeline score: 12 | |
| Feb 9, 2014 at 7:17 | comment | added | F.E. | Here's a link to a post that I wrote on backshifting: english.stackexchange.com/a/149167/57102 | |
| Feb 9, 2014 at 7:12 | comment | added | F.E. | Both versions are fine. The second version just happens to use a backshifted preterite ("stood") in the subordinate clause. | |
| Feb 9, 2014 at 6:46 | answer | added | Digital Chris | timeline score: 4 | |
| Feb 9, 2014 at 6:41 | comment | added | anongoodnurse | Your first example is correct. While no one would misunderstand you if you used the second example, it would be appropriate if NASA had changed its name. The second example would also be appropriate if it was a more distant past in which you found out. | |
| Jan 23, 2013 at 12:01 | answer | added | Barrie England | timeline score: 19 | |
| Jan 23, 2013 at 11:40 | answer | added | Tim Lymington | timeline score: 8 | |
| Jan 23, 2013 at 10:08 | history | edited | RegDwigнt | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Oct 24, 2012 at 9:39 | history | edited | RegDwigнt | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Feb 2, 2011 at 22:10 | history | edited | nohat |
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| Jan 5, 2011 at 11:12 | vote | accept | sombe | ||
| Jan 4, 2011 at 23:40 | answer | added | Cerberus - Reinstate Monica | timeline score: 17 | |
| Jan 4, 2011 at 23:01 | history | asked | sombe | CC BY-SA 2.5 |