Search results for 'tag:Conversations tag:Past tenses' matching tags 'Conversations' and 'Past tenses'

Re: she's talking about or talked about

New2grammar — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:40:17 GMT

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 telling the patient was in the past so when one refers to the act, logically, the past tense should be used like "My dog bit me" and not" My dog is biting me". I'm not sure if my explanation makes any sense to you. The focus is the timeline.

Re: "I would be surprised..."

New2grammar — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:19:42 GMT

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 that but
I have to say, MH's view makes more sense and more natural to me.
Could you please 'defend' native speakers' tendency?

An example that I always keep in mind as reference is

handler: If Kate knew we WERE having this conversation, she would have us killed.

Thanks!

Re: taking out the windows of the car

Goodman — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:46:40 GMT

Hi Ant222,

My English skill is not in the âgrammarianâ 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 and no one will flag you for errors. However, to be grammatically correct, the right tense should be followed and observed consistently. Besides using present perfect to connect events from the past to present, sometimes, we will see past reference combined into a present perfect structure. i.e.

John seems to have forgotten who helped him 2 years ago when his lost his job. This is perfectly legal.

General simple present statement with timeless reference.

I have never seen movies as bad as this one!

I have tried many times to quit smoking but failed.

With time reference, past to present:

Jane has changed 3 jobs since the beginning of this year.

She hasnât made any car payment for the past 6 months.

If you already understood the above, just disregard my post.

Re: tenses

New2grammar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:34:44 GMT

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 reply. I like this comment of yours because that's what I think too. For example, the feeling 'resent' may still persist even though the communication is past. So I believe the past tense version probably can use the present tense 'resent' to emphasize their continuing feelings toward their step father. Learners are advised to stick to one tense and I probably understand why- It's easier to follow and sounds more formal. However, native speakers don't speak in one tense and maybe that's the reason you sound pretentious or too formal in a casual conversation if you speak in that manner. Of course this is the least I should worry about as I still have other major grammatical problems to fix.

Thanks for the reply, GG. It helps me understand grammar better.

Re: Difference between Say and Said

New2grammar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:20:44 GMT

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 past tense said, I wouldn't quote the speech, instead I would change the speech tense to the past tense. For example,

Mary: What time will you be home?

Kate: I'll be home before dinner.

Jerry, guess what the first thing my mom asked when I told her I was going out with you? She asked what time I would be home. (I dont think 'said' fits well, 'ask' is better)

If I want to quote, either tense is OK with me though I'd prefer the present

I'm not a native. You might want to confirm with the natives

Re: was or is

MrPedantic — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:02:51 GMT

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 "great", as it was at the time of the conversation. The past tense "was" in #2 is in accord with the past tense "told", and reflects the fact that the conversation took place in the past.

(Although "was" may open the door to ambiguity, as you say, "is" opens the door to misleadingness, as the speaker only knows that the nacho stand was considered "great" at the time of the conversation. It may have deteriorated sadly since then...)

Best wishes,

MrP

Re: HOW START A QUESTION?

CalifJim — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:29:57 GMT

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 how ...?, not as Did you know how ...?

CJ

Re: I was hoping

Yankee — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:12:15 GMT

.
The use of the past tense adds "distance" and that makes expressions such as "I was hoping" sound a bit more tentative and polite.
I would not say that it is necessarily only "formal" since I think this sort of usage of past tense forms occurs even in very informal conversation.

Re: Page 1: Please answer the following questions...

Wanwo — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:01:40 GMT

Jackson6612 wrote:

1: The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test development organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Couldn't the above be written as:

The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test developing organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA?

No. The organization's business is 'professional test development'. You can't say developing in that context.

2: In the Writing section, students write in response to two questions. One question is about a reading passage and a lecture, and the other question is about a general topic.

Is reading being used as an adjective in the above sentence?
That's a good question. I think you might be right but I'm not sure. Sorry not much help here.

3: The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtained from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language came from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language was collected from textbooks and other course materials.

Couldn't the above be written as:

The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtains from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language come from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language is collected from textbooks and other course materials.
Change 'come' to 'comes' and yes, it can be re-written as you have done. What you are doing is putting it all in the present tense. But it may be better to express it in the past tense. A new TOEFL test has been created. It's finished. So how it was created concerns things that happened in the past.

Why Did He Not Use The Past Tense Here?

The Graduate — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:16:04 GMT

Hi there,

Please take a look at this conversation quoted from Seinfeld (A Comdy TV Series):

Cosmo Kramer: The bus is outta control. So I grab him by the collar, I take him out of the seat, I get behind the wheel, and now I'm driving the bus.
Jerry: Wow.
George Costanza: You're Batman.
Cosmo Kramer: Yeah, yeah, I am Batman. Then the mugger, he comes to and he starts choking me. So I'm fighting him off with one hand and I kept driving the bus with the other, ya know. Then I managed to open up the door and I kicked him out the door, ya know, with my foot, ya know, at the next stop.
Jerry: You kept making all the stops?
Cosmo Kramer: Well, people kept ringing the bell.

The question is .. why did Cosmo Kramer not use the past tense to describe the situation he faced and instead he used the simple present and present contineous tense?

Please .. Correct Any Mistakes You Find In My Writing As Well .. Thanks In Advance