hi, is it possible to use the past tense in a conversation to explain about someone although he is still alive until now? for example, 'i had a friend before. we were working for the same company. his father was indian and his mother was

There are only two people in this conversation. Melinda, who sees ghosts and Eli a psychiatrist who doesn't believe in them but starts hearing them after he almost died but was saved by the paramedics. So my question is still open for 'It

I would have taken a boat if I had known that New York was / is across the river from New Jersey. In conversation, people often express these "currently existing conditions" in past tense when they're talking about something they did

Maybe the purpose of my second example isn't clear. I was just trying to emphasize the fact that the conversation took place in the past. So when referring to the past exchanges, we should use the past tense. Similarly, the act of the nurse

CJ, I'm not quite sure I get your explanation. MH has a very good point but I remember you said a long time ago (probably a year) that in cases like this, native speakers tend to use the past tense throughout. I've been trying to apply

Hi Ant222, My English skill is not in the “grammarian” class but I will give it my best attempt to explain it. It may not may not be agreeable with the experts. In many instances during casual conversations, we can bet by with simple past tense

In fact, it's probably a mixture of both - they are still trying to solve the problem so some elements are past and some are present.Maybe he still thinks, and they still resent, but his communication with them is past. GG, thanks for the

This is a tricky one and I personally think there's no right or wrong, at least in most cases. It depends on the time frame the speaker has in mind most of the time. However, I have some preferences. In everyday conversation, if I use the

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"

Those words are left out only in very casual conversation between friends. I don't recommend it. In the case of the first, the past tense is missing if you leave out did , so if you say You know how ...? it will be interpreted as Do you know