By Tenses, Conversations

Avangi, I know you said you would rewrite if clause in present tense. However, I'd like to understand why you wrote it in the present tense followed by woulds. I'm sure your structure is correct and natural and by understanding it, it'll help me understand native speakers better and...

I know 'would' carries many meanings. My problem is sometimes I find it difficult to tell which meaning the speaker uses. I think I understand its hypothetical usage, and in some contexts, its politeness usage. Below is a post that has several woulds I have trouble interpreting. I also...

No. It's fine in its original form.CJ

Hi Teachers, I got a question about the definite article "the." Let's suppose that I bought a pen yesterday and I just met a friend who does not know I did. Me: Hi Paco! How're you doing?Paco: Good!Me: The pen that I bought yesterday is not working! In the above conversation,...

I have underlined some problem areas: The Woman Within the Doll The Baltimore Sun wrote that back in 1879, “A Doll's House” by Henrik Ibsen “shocked and offended people wherever feet” (1031). This might have caused him to become the “half-drowned” kind of man, as he refers...

Nelson Mandela is a brave man who'd spent years in prison for his convictions.We tend to pay little attention to the proper use of past perfect tense in everyday conversation and get away with simple past without much critique. We all knew Mandela had spent a major part of his life in...

Hello FH, My comment was only half-serious. Consider these examples: 1. A said that B is pretty. 2. A said that B was pretty. In ordinary conversation, you will hear both forms; and in both forms, the addressee will understand that "B = pretty" represents the opinion of A at the time of...

Hello FH, 1. While waiting in line, the man told me that the nacho stand around the corner is great. 2. While waiting in line, the man told me that the nacho stand around the corner was great. Both forms are common. The present tense "is" in #1 suggests that the nacho stand continues to be...

Newguest wrote: Goodman wrote: Newguest wrote: Hi I have a few questions. 1. We were having a chat while we were waiting. IT IS BETTER TO WRITE "We had a chat while we were waiting" Are both sentences OK, or not? 2. Is it possible to say: The instructions to this exercise are saying that...

Hi, The Assignment is: Complete the following conversation by putting the verb in bracket into the correct tense. Sheil phones her friend joyce Sheila: Hello,joyce.What (you/do)__are you doing___ at the moment? Joyce:I (try) _am trying_____ to read that book our teacter told us to...