Linked Questions

1 vote
2 answers
145k views

When to use "is" and "was" for thing that has happened? [duplicate]

I've found some sentences that seem odd for me such as, "She is married" instead of "She was married" or "This transaction is approved" instead of "This transaction was approved" I want to know which ...
Anonymous's user avatar
  • 3,062
8 votes
2 answers
9k views

Using past tense when referencing a still-true fact [duplicate]

In the sentence: "I didn't know she had a son," Can I say "I didn't know she has a son" instead, because he is a teenager now? Or are both correct?
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
8k views

Is it grammatically correct to change tense in a sentence? [duplicate]

When writing a sentence, can I change from past-tense to present-tense in the middle of it? For example, Joey realized that the ball is green. or Joey realized that the ball was green. I am ...
J. Walker's user avatar
  • 341
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

My grandma believed that the Sun "revolves" or "revolved" around the Earth? [duplicate]

We all know that universal statements are always in present tense. For example, My grandma did not believe that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Here, though the sentence is in past tense, Earth ...
Deepan Das's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
13k views

I didn't know he IS/WAS [duplicate]

I didn't know he was/is such a good person. Which is correct in the above sentence. Is/was and why ? (Assume the person is still alive and is still a good person)
Vinay's user avatar
  • 65
2 votes
2 answers
5k views

I received an email saying documents are /were [duplicate]

I received an email saying that the documents are/were being processed. Which is correct? Are or were?
iamRR's user avatar
  • 470
0 votes
1 answer
8k views

I have forgotten what you look/looked like [duplicate]

Which one is correct? I have forgotten what you look like. I have forgotten what you looked like. I guess I have forgotten what you looked like. because logically I saw the ...
Sandeepan Nath's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
7k views

Past tense or present tense to describe something that 'happened in the past' but is still true? [duplicate]

For example: "Last week, I found out that NASA stands for 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration.'" or "Last week, I found out that NASA stood for 'National Aeronautics and Space ...
Blake Mulvihill's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
5k views

Past Tense of "Do" [duplicate]

Which sentence below is correct when using the past tense of "do"? What I did to find out is that... What I did to find out was that...
Harper's user avatar
  • 115
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

What tense to use when reporting something which has never been true or never happened? [duplicate]

The report said that years ago city planners had planned to build a facility that turns salt water into fresh water, but financial woes made that impossible. In this sentence should turned be used ...
hale's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is the past tense correct in "Did you know Fred was a doctor?" [duplicate]

Possible Duplicates: He didn't know where New Jersey was… Tense change: previous actions on something that's currently true My wife and I were disagreeing about this today: ...
Fixee's user avatar
  • 3,891
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Direct to Reported Speech - a scenario of ambiguity [duplicate]

The question is: How would one convert He said, "My name is Harry" to reported speech? Rules do say that the converted sentence reads He said that his name was Harry. The factor causing ...
Karthik C's user avatar
  • 145
0 votes
1 answer
4k views

Past continuous reporting verb in indirect speech [duplicate]

In indirect speech if the reporting verb is in past tense, then the verb in subordinate clause will also be in past tense. Ex- He said that he was going to see movie. What tense will be used in ...
iamRR's user avatar
  • 470
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

When do you use "this is because" in the present tense versus "this was because" in the past tense? [duplicate]

I found this from a blog where the writer used this is because: Through the experience of the DSCE, I felt like my life goal had finally been achieved, but when I desperately pleaded with God to ...
user250189's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
2k views

Which is the correct tense: "earth was/is round"? [duplicate]

Maybe it's very simple but I'm wondering which one is correct. Google search has showed me both forms are used. "He said the earth was round." "He said the earth is round."
Dennis's user avatar
  • 550

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