Search results for 'tag:Clauses tag:Present tenses' matching tags 'Clauses' and 'Present tenses'

Reporting ''You have got to buy that book. It's a real page-turner.''

Peaceblinkfriend — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:31:48 GMT

Hi all

''You have got to buy that book. It's a real page-turner.''

He said (that) I had to buy that book and that it is a real page-turner.

Does this report structure sound natural to you? I have used the present tense for the second verb in the reported clause to put emphasis on the fact that the book is still a 'real page-turner'. Would you say it is necessary to do so? Lastly, is it considered good style to use two different tenses in a reported clause?

Thank you

PBF

Re: If your son is/was alive

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:35:57 GMT

Hi,

I would use the present tense in the if-clause and write the question like this.

A: I think my son is still alive.
reporter: If your son is alive, why do you think he's not coming back?

Or you could make it unreal like this.
If your son were alive, what would be the reason he hasn't come back?

Re: If you haven't .... I woud

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:26:32 GMT

Hi,

What is the difference?

I hope you've seen it, but if you hadn't (haven't), I'd love to run it for you now.

I think the 'hadn't' version is a type 2 conditional (unreal). To me, using a present tense in the if-clause is new. How does it work?

Is this good?
If you have money, I would love to borrow some from you.

Re: If you haven't .... I woud

CalifJim — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:01 GMT

Doesn't it bother you that a present perfect tense in an if clause is used with would?

Isn't the past usually used with would in that case?

It is unusual. The reason it's OK is that would like to (or would love to) is an idiom equivalent to want to (a present tense).

So it's like

I hope you've seen it, but if you haven't, I'd love to run it for you now. ~

I hope you've seen it, but if you haven't, I want to run it for you now.

present in a past-setting narrative

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:36:47 GMT

Hi,

I am having trouble getting a firm grasp of the working of putting present-time clauses in a story or narratve that flows in past tenses -- which meant to tell something that has occurred in the past. I know if something still holds true or if something is a "universal" truth element, then the use of present tenses in midst of all past tenses is fine, I need your help in getting a concrete understanding of application part of it. Can you use some simple examples that might be used in such contexts to show me how it is done?

I went to university in *** and there, I saw this person named John. I have a weakness for an sports star and he was a well-known sports star, known to have won metals in international competitions.

Re: tense problems

Cool Breeze — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:42:18 GMT

In the first sentence the use of a present tense (think) emphasises what your opinion is now. The past tense (thought) refers to the past; your opinion may have changed by now.

"I told her that I am (was?) happy in my job" Both are right. The sequence of tenses would require was but if you are still happy, the present tense is also possible.

"I said to her that I do (did?) not know where Bob had gone to" I would use did in your sentence because of the that clause. If you had a quotation within quotation marks, even do would be correct in some contexts. The last preposition should be omitted.

Re: The day will come when we (will) all have robots.

Viceidol — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:40:57 GMT

Thank you very much, Jim. May I ask one more question?

As for the first pair of sentences, which is better? I ask this because I saw my grammar book saying "If the main clause and relative clause mean the same future time, we use future tense in the main clause, and present tense the relative clause" ("tense simplification"). But the first sentence seems contrary to that "rule". Actually that sentence is from another grammar book, which doesn't explain why it is written that way. Could you please tell me which one is better/idiomatic? Thank you for your help!

Re: Let's see who finishes/will finish first.

CalifJim — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:03:49 GMT

Only one s in present!!!

You can't use will with the stative verbs in this construction: [Let's see / Let me know / Tell me] plus an indirect question. I would not call these relative clauses.

to finish first - an action.

how you are - a state - not an action.

get there first - same as arrive first - an action.

you think - an internal activity; having an opinion - not an action.

_______

Thus, with the indirect question in brackets { }, ungrammatical choices prefixed with asterisk *:

[Let's see / Let me know / Tell me] {who [finishes / will finish / gets there / will get there] first}.

[Let's see / Let me know / Tell me] {how [you are / *you will be / what you think / *what you will think]}

_______

Your example with make sure does not belong to the pattern above. There's no indirect question.

Make sure (that) you come back soon.

A make sure that pattern is not followed by a future (will).

______

You can save yourself a lot of headaches by using the present tense for all of these. Even in cases where will is possible, it's almost always the inferior choice.

The question about "in case" and tense

Viceidol — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:51:07 GMT

Hello, everyone. I learned from my grammar book that we often use present tense to refer to future in "in case-clause". Like:

I always take an umbrella in case it rains.

I've bought a chicken in case your mother stays to lunch.

In those cases, I found that all the verbs in main clauses are tenses refer to "present". But what if they are "past tense"? I saw several examples in my grammar books:

1. I wrote down her address in case I should forget it. (What change should I make with the "forget" if I don't use "should" in this example?)

2. We took our swimming suits in case we should find a pool. (What change should I make with the "find" if I don't use "should" in this example?)

3. He left early in case he should miss the last train. (What change should I make with the "miss" if I don't use "should" in this example?)

4. In case the wall should collapse, they evacuated the building. (What change should I make with the "evacuate" if I don't use "should" in this example?)

I think, for those cases, we should use "past tense" in those cases even though the main clause has a past verb. Because I saw this sentences in another book:

5. Doctors and nerses remained above ground while police patrolled the streets in case anyone tried to leave the shelters too soon.(I think the "tried" can be replaced by "should try", am I right?)

Please tell me if I can use present tense in those occations. Thank you very much.

Re: "If it will help" and "If it rains tomorrow"?

CalifJim — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:00:04 GMT

Viceidol
If it will help, I'll lend you some money.
I'll give you 100 dollars if it will help you go on holiday.

This often happens with the verb help. In my opinion, it's an abbreviated form of If you think that it will help, which is an if-clause in the present tense. (think is in the present tense.) The it will help part is therefore actually an implied subordinate clause.

The same doesn't work for most other verbs. You have to say "you think" explicitly in those cases. So either of these is possible:

If it rains tomorrow, I'll stay at home.

If you think that it will rain tomorrow, I'll stay at home.

Note, however, that while the person you speak to is in a better position than you to know if something will help him, he is not in any better position than you to know whether it is going to rain the next day. So that's why it's reasonable to say you'll do something if it rains, but less reasonable to do so just because someone thinks it will rain. And conversely, it's reasonable to say you'll do something if it helps OR if someone thinks it will help.

Search results for 'tag:Clauses tag:Present tenses' matching tags 'Clauses' and 'Present tenses'

Reporting ''You have got to buy that book. It's a real page-turner.''

Re: If your son is/was alive

Re: If you haven't .... I woud

Re: If you haven't .... I woud

present in a past-setting narrative

Re: tense problems

Re: The day will come when we (will) all have robots.

Re: Let's see who finishes/will finish first.

The question about "in case" and tense

Re: "If it *will help" and "If it *rains tomorrow"?

Re: "If it will help" and "If it rains tomorrow"?