By Conversations, Tenses

Re: "I would be surprised..."

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, nativespeakers tend to use the past tense throughout. I've been trying to apply that butI have to say, MH's view makes more...

Re: taking out the windows of the car

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 and no one will flag you for errors. However, to...

Re: Please, help me with this question

Hi, An explanation, please. Present Perfect tense means past time related to present time and one of its uses is: an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past, e.g.: I have travelled to Athens. But in the sentence: I have read a magazine * today ,how to explain that we don't...

Re: Present simple or future continuous

Not really.The second sentence indicates a time in the future, perhaps very soon.The first sentence is a bit odd, because the use of the simple present tense already implies "as usual". This could be used, of course, in casual conversation.English is notorious for interchanging tenses,...

Re: tenses

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...

Re: Pls. correct my conversation.

My teacher teach me I should use "will verb" in future tense. "Be verbing" is only for an event which is doing now

Re: Difference between Say and Said

Hi Sir, Thank you so much for your taking time to help me and may God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless you greatly.. Sir, what is the proper verb to be use here? Why is it that even if it did happen in the past (the conversation, I mean) I can read a lot of them using the present tense...

Re: Difference between Say and Said

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,...

Re: Free Learn English Online

Hi,This is Babu.I am having doubts while using past tense in conversation.by using could,wolud,had, had been like that.

Re: I could not understand Obama's thoughts

You could have written it that way. No problem. I wrote it in the past because I noticed that GG answered before I did. By the time I saw her answer, it was already in the past in my mind. Also, when you read it, you probably read her answer before you read my comment, so your reading...