Questions tagged [past-tense]
This tag is for questions related to usage of the past tense in English.
1,010
questions
1
vote
0answers
32 views
How to pronounce “used the” in the USA? [migrated]
He changed the music style to fit trend and used the media as his new tragedy
This above a line from a movie but what I heard instead of 'used the' was like 'use the'.
So I wonder what's the right ...
-4
votes
0answers
28 views
Why does the last sentence in the story use a present tense while the whole book used a past tense? [closed]
And very early every morning, before anyone is awake, Hunca Munca comes with her dustpan and broom to sweep the dolls’ house!
Taken from Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter.
-1
votes
2answers
18 views
“cause” vs “caused” [closed]
I want to create a short and simple error message. But were confused with the usage of past-tense "cause"
Which one is correct?
Unexpected condition caused error
or
Unexpected condition ...
-1
votes
0answers
11 views
Indirect speech for past tense [migrated]
What would be the indirect speech for the sentence given below.
The teacher said,"she was sick yesterday".
Which one is correct.
The teacher said that she was sick the previous day.
The ...
-3
votes
0answers
65 views
Have worked for three years - experience?
I have worked in the company for three years.
Can this mean three years’ job experience in a company where I don’t work now?
I think this means I started to work in the company three years ago and ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Present Tense and Past tense in context
Present Tense and Past tense in context
There is a text/ paragraph as follows:
If I have a description at the start, say "I visited Thailand. There were a lot of nice restaurants.", then if ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Why is this sentence in present tense when the whole story is in the past tense? [closed]
And very early every morning, before anybody is/ was awake,
I was wondering the reason behind this one sentence which used present tense when the whole story is in the past.
1
vote
0answers
16 views
Is it possible to use the past and present tenses in the same sentence? [closed]
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
I did not complain and tell myself to calm down and try to solve this difficult problem.
Or:
I did not complain and told myself to calm down and try to ...
1
vote
4answers
62 views
Can “post” be past tense?
I seem to recall having heard some people use "post" as a past tense form of "post", rather than "posted". However, this sentence structure is remarkably difficult to ...
-1
votes
1answer
33 views
Had had confusion [closed]
1.Last year I had had the idea to buy a new television, but now I'm not sure I want to.
2 Last year I had the idea to buy a new television, but now I'm not sure I want to
Both of these sentences ...
-1
votes
1answer
31 views
Past Perfect (Progressive) problem
I was helping my nephew with some homework but this time I reached my limit. I am not quite sure what the correct answer is here or even if there is only one good answer. One has to finish the ...
-1
votes
1answer
36 views
What kind of verb phrase is it when “is” in the present tense is immediately followed by another verb that’s itself in the past tense?
Please consider this example of three sentences in sequence:
The building is destroyed.
The rubble is then removed.
The rubble is broken into smaller pieces.
What kind of verb phrase is ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Determine the type of the past tense used in the given sentence
Which tense is used in the following sentence?
The repair shop was already closed?
According to me, it is not past simple, as the structure of past simple is subject + second form of main verb + ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Why find found, bind bound, fight fought, wind wound (i / ou) but cling clung, dig dug, spin spun, sting stung (i /u)? [closed]
Why find found, bind bound, fight fought, wind wound (i / ou) but cling clung, dig dug, spin spun, sting stung (i /u)?
0
votes
2answers
30 views
A sentence without a predicate in the middle of narrative given in past tense
From William Gibson’s debut 1984 science-fiction novel, Neuromancer:
Crossing the arcade to stand beside her, high on the deal he’d made, he saw her glance up. Gray eyes rimmed with smudged black ...
0
votes
2answers
29 views
“must + [verb]” past simple
Is there a way to use must in past simple?
Present simple: You must run.
Past perfect: You must have ran.
Past simple doesn't work: You must ran.
Not even with another word to indicate past (since ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
Is this sentence grammatically correct? (tenses)
"I know. You dreaded our meetups because my condition would always
have worsened by the time we met again."
Is the use of "would have" here correct? If so (or if not), would ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
Which tense is correct? [migrated]
I have a question. Which sentence should I choose? I have two purposes: in the first case, I want to indicate that I do not work with them anymore. In the second one, however, I still do. What is the ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Past Perfect or Past Simple
I want to understand if we need to keep using past perfect in a long sentence. (in speaking and writing english)
For example,
"I want to tell you a story that happened to me in summer. I started ...
-1
votes
0answers
6 views
choosing between are or were past or present [migrated]
The researchers also collected data from 25 park users in Berlin using a questionnaire. All participants are members of the environmental council, thus, are likely to be committed to .......
should i ...
-1
votes
0answers
21 views
Past tense usage [migrated]
I was reading a novel when I saw this sentence:
It's just a guess but, when you were still living with your mother, you had been interfering in her life a lot, right?
Are the verbs here (i.e. "...
2
votes
2answers
55 views
Mixing Past & Present Tense
Original:
"These two peers would later become an advantageous support system for me personally, assisting as I struggled with the structural engineering portion of my internship project at the ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Does present perfect work with past simple in this example? [closed]
"This year, the whole world has been scared and yet all I could see was joy."
Part of me feels like that's not correct, but don't know how to make it sound more natural either... Please ...
1
vote
0answers
23 views
Using the present tense or past tense for a fact
I know that we should use the present tense when talking about facts. However, in some instances I cannot decide which tense to use.
For example,
"The analysis assumes that a and b are ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
Is it “allowed” or “has allowed”? [duplicate]
Which of the following is correct, and why?
Dad has allowed me to purchase a car.
Dad allowed me to purchase a car.
0
votes
3answers
36 views
tense for past job experience?
When talking about a past job experience, can we use present perfect tense?
For example; "after I started working for x co., i have had experiences on ... (I want to emphasize that i stil have ...
1
vote
3answers
32 views
Present tense Used for Past event [duplicate]
I saw a news headline that reads: he admits accident was caused by drunk driving.
My question is why they use present tense (admits) instead of past tense (admitted). The news was written after the ...
0
votes
2answers
51 views
If “were tired” is correct grammatically, why is “was studied” not? [closed]
I was practicing english and I have a question.
Why is it correct to write:
We were so tired.
But it is not correct to write:
I was studied english.
I know that it is correct to write:
I studied ...
0
votes
2answers
37 views
Why are we using a past modal verb with a present verb in this sentence?
it is typically restricted to military aircraft except for the
legendary Concorde, which was able to speeds of up to three times that
of passenger planes today
Why are we using 'was able to' with '...
-1
votes
1answer
90 views
“Have you seen him recently?” or “Did you see him recently?” [closed]
Have you seen him recently?
or
Did you see him recently?
Which of these is correct?
1
vote
1answer
48 views
break, breaks, or broke? [closed]
Here is a sentence from BBC Learning English:
And I saw that ship break in half.
Is this a correct sentence? I think I should use broke. Am I wrong?
0
votes
0answers
13 views
Time in past simple and simple present grammar in these sentences
I have some issues to understand these two sentences, why the first is wrong and why the second the verb didn't change.
In the sentence "Kim goes on a date with David the last night but didn’t ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Ungrammatical Title?
On a YouTube video titled "How Do You Die From Alzheimer's?", one commenter wrote:
"[R]ight grammar is[,] a [sic]
how did a person die from alzheimer's?
...[W]rong grammar is[,] a [...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Past tense and present tense in a same sentense. Tense consistent or logically correct?
I am trying to tell a thing that happened in the past. But that thing has a fact that is still true in the present. Could you tell me which one of the following is true?
I had a lesson with a tutor ...
-1
votes
1answer
83 views
“I did not grew / grow up” - which one is the correct tense? [closed]
There are actually quite a few threads on the question of grew or grow up, but none with the verb did and the state "being poor" instead of a location, so I allow myself to ask it here. ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Using Past Simple versus Present Simple in a commentary for a documentary
I've been translating a commentary to a history documentary and I'm not sure if my choice of tenses is optimal. In Polish, just like in English, the Present Simple tense is occasionally used for ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
Why past tense and not past perfect
I came across a passage. Passage happens in the past ,and one of two characters is telling a story that happened before that day. That’s why I thought the story part of the passage should have been in ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Past perfect form of should
I have encountered a sentence ,which I’m not sure about.
This passage is about two people talking in the past. One of them is telling a story that happened before the time these two people met, so ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Verb tense confusion - how to correctly use past perfect in a past tense narrative
Okay, scenario: In a novel set in narrative past tense, there's a sentence, "We had become friends when nobody had liked him and it had seemed no one ever would." Is the past perfect being ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
In a novel, should a subordinate clause use present tense while the main clause is past?
Provided this is correct:
The general rule is to match the tense of a subordinate clause with the tense of the main clause. E.g. He vacuumed while I washed the dishes. However, a subordinate clause ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
“When clause” in past tense when describing a conditional fact
Please take a look at the following example of using the When conjunction:
We've fixed a bug where an error message popped up when the user clicked / clicks on the Start button.
If the main clause ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Help conjugating
A funny guy on twitter made this post:
"waaah society doesnt make sense" As opposed to what? foraging? "euhheuuhuh we are not hard wired for city life" a neighboring chieftain just ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
In which cases is present perfect equal to simple past?
In which cases present perfect is equal (exactly or in common usage) to past tense? For example, these two questions have pretty much no difference in common usage (as far as I'm aware):
"Have I ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Complex verb tense consistency variations
Ok so I’ve always faced a certain level of confusion regarding the conjugaison of the word “would“ when it comes down to some of its specific uses under various tense conditions.
For instance, the ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
“COVID-19 changed / has changed / has been changing the everyday life of people” [duplicate]
This is for the translation of a bachelor thesis and we have different opinions on the use of the word "change".
Which is correct?
COVID-19 changed / has changed / has been changing the ...
0
votes
2answers
25 views
When to use before or beforehand? [closed]
Both beforehand and before are adverb and both mean the same. (See Reference, below). Then what is the difference between them? Can they be used interchangeably?
Are these sentence correct (and can I ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views
Using “used to” with past tense
Why are we not allowed to use the "used to" in the following sentences?
I used to work hard last month.
I used to live in London three years ago.
And could you please recommend a grammar ...
0
votes
0answers
77 views
“Didn't need to” vs “Needn't have done”
Page 315 of the Collins English Usage reads
If you are talking about the past and you want to say that it was not
necessary for someone to do something on a particular occasion, you
say that they ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Can I transition from past perfect tense to past tense while still referring to the past perfect context?
If I am describing a situation in past tense, then moving into past perfect, can I drop the "hads" so as to use simple past tense verb forms again, but still keep reference to the past ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
The Passive Voice when referring to time [duplicate]
If we say something like "More than two months have passed", would you say this is speaking in the Passive Voice? When you look at the general rules about when to use the Passive Voice, it ...
