In Past tenses^x, Singular verbs^x

No, I didn't think you would. To a grammarian, there is more to it than the next word. There are at least three views on this.1. The rule of proximity: The first word after the verb is singular (a television), so a singular verb (was) can/should be used.2. The rule of number: If only one...

Hi, 1. I had to help him because he is my friend. I am confused if the use of the verb "is" in the dependent clause is correct. There is a rule that if the verb in the independent clause is in its past or past perfect form, the verb in the dependent or subordinated clause should also be in its...

1. Use of present perfect tense and simple past tense Speakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in...

Calif Jim I used past tense in the 'posing' example because I was imagining a press article describing the event. When we say "Manchester United are (or is) posing for photos", we are doing so in the belief that the listener or reader will infer we mean the players - or at least those players...