Is the tense correct?

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Anonymous

#252287 Fri, 04 Aug 06 12:53 PM

Is the tense correct for 'return' in the following sentence?:

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she returns at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

Anonymous

Tenses, Numbers

Clive

#252317 Fri, 04 Aug 06 02:58 PM

Hi,

Is the tense correct for 'return' in the following sentence?:

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she returns at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

'Returns' suggests that she returns at 3pm everyday, eg she has a routine or schedule. I think that what you mean is

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she would return at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

The continuous tense for After we exchanged phone numbers . . . . the baby was lying comfortably in the office also seems to be wrong. I don't understand your meaning here. Do you perhaps mean 'while' rather than 'after'?

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (22,568)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Tenses, Numbers

Marius Hancu

#252377 Fri, 04 Aug 06 07:07 PM

If an element of obligation was involved in her return:

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she should return at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

This can also be formulated in a more formal manner by using the subjunctive:

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she return at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

Similar examples:
----------
... It was agreed that she return to Australia with the children under
a detailed access and guardianship regime ...

[link]

------

In desperation she returned to her home city of Baltimore and from
there she contacted Mother Elizabeth Bruyere in Ottawa, who kindly
agreed that she return to the Grey Nuns.

[link]
-------

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

Tenses, Numbers, Subjunctives, Genders

pieanne

#252409 Fri, 04 Aug 06 08:37 PM

I really don't get the meaning of the sentence... Has anything happened to the baby? Has it gone missing?

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

Tenses

Ant_222

#252425 Fri, 04 Aug 06 09:15 PM

«I really don't get the meaning of the sentence»

Maybe «the baby was _still_ lying...» will make sense?

Ant_222

Joined on Sun, May 21 2006

Podolsk, Russia

Contributing Member (1,584)

Tenses

pieanne

#252439 Fri, 04 Aug 06 09:38 PM

As I understand it - but I may be wrong, or incomplete -, it makes sense if you're inquiring about the baby, and want to state that, at that moment, it was still lying ... ".

(I may be reading too many thrillers)

pieanne

Tenses

Anonymous

#252740 Sat, 05 Aug 06 02:46 PM

After we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that she returns at 3 pm, the baby was lying comfortably in the office.

To clarify: No, she does not have a routine. She approached the writer at his workplace to take care of the baby for her and agreed to return at 3pm. Meanwhile, the writer's colleagues were already taking care of the baby and had settled the baby in a comfortable place.

Hi Marius, your explanation about using the "subjunctive" seems to fit. Could I know more about the "subjunctive" and why it does not require a 's' in the verb?

Anonymous

Verbs, Tenses, Numbers, Subjunctives

Marius Hancu

#252821 Sat, 05 Aug 06 06:05 PM

For the subjunctive check:

[link]

Also, click on the Subjunctives button under your original posting and you will find several related threads, e.g.

[link]

Marius Hancu

Tenses, Subjunctives

Anonymous

#254205 Thu, 10 Aug 06 03:53 AM

Thank you, Marius.

Anonymous

Tenses