Search results for 'tag:Simple past tag:Past tenses' matching tags 'Simple past' and 'Past tenses'

Can we replace WOULD by WAS in such a sentence?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:53:41 GMT

Hello, there,
In the following sentence:

Born in New York City on Oct. 27, 1858, Theodore Roosevelt is the second of four children of Theodore and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. At age 6, T.R., his brother Elliott and friend Edith Carow (who would one day be his second wife) watch Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession from the home of T.R.'s grandfather on Manhattan's Union Square.

Can we change the modal verb WOULD into the simple past tense WAS? And what's the difference?
I think that WAS is also acceptable if we change a little bit of the context "who was his second wife", but I cannot explain the difference?
Coud you please help me out? Could you please explain the difference between these two verb systems in such a sentence?
Thank you in advance!

Re: there had to be

CalifJim — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:57:38 GMT

pructus
âThere had to beâ .. Is it simple past tense as an indicative or is it a present tense as a subjunctive?

My subjunctive scouts have returned empty-handed.

Consider that a true subjunctive in a main clause is not found in English, certainly not the past subjunctive. It's the simple past indicative tense.

there had to be

pructus — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:55:11 GMT

Following is from âHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanâ. The situation is that Harry Potter failed in the Quidditch game for the first time.

Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.

âCâmon, Harry, youâve never missed the Snitch before.â

âThere had to be one time you didnât get it.â said George.

âThere had to beâ .. Is it simple past tense as an indicative or is it a present tense as a subjunctive?

Re: TOEIC/ error recognition

Clive — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:31:53 GMT

Hi,
When the repair person (A) had completed her work (B) was fixing the PCs in our office, she (C) put away her tools and (D) wrote out a bill for the supervisor.

The answer key says (B) is incorrect but doesn't tell me what to change, so I think it could be corrected as follows:

1. fixing
2. to fix
3. which was fixing

Please advise on these possible corrections. All 3 of your suggestions are incorrect grammar. It's a hard test sentence for a student to understand, because A and B are actually alternatives. B is incorrect, and A is correct.

In addition, I was wondering why (A) is in past perfect tense but not the past tense word "completed"? I remember one native speaker in this forum once told me that the verb tense appeared in a "when" clause should usually go with simple tense.Past Perfect is fine, but Simple Past would also be fine. The sequence of events is clear.

Please also advise on this one.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Written english vs spoken english

Yankee — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:33:38 GMT

CalifJim
It would take a very astute American listener indeed to notice anything 'amiss' in a British speaker's use of the present perfect in any given situation. I'd bet that no American listener would ever say to himself, "How interesting. I would have used the simple past there."

Of course they wouldn't say that, Jim. Most don't even know what the names of verb tenses/forms are. That's the reason I specifically mentioned people who are NOT English (ESL) teachers. I'll grant you that a single difference in usage might slip by unremarked, but repeated or regular differences in usage will be and are noticed. In some cases the listener might be able to pinpoint the difference, in other cases it may simply be a more general feeling that something about the way something was said was unusual. My opinion comes from (among other things) years spent working together with lots of British colleagues and also from the feedback of Americans and Brits working together in multinational companies, both here and in Europe.

That said, I agree that non-native speakers should not drive themselves crazy worrying about British vs American usage of the past tense and the present perfect. The similarities are much more numerous than the differences.

Re: Written english vs spoken english

Huevos — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:57:57 GMT

Yankee
In other words, a native speaker knows whether someone is saying somebody's or somebody. What I'm saying is that in the scenario I gave, I think it is far more likely that an American will use the simple past tense. There won't even be a slight hint of a 'sss' sound connected to the end of the word 'somebody'

I think non-natives make too much of a big deal of this. If I were to say to you "Somebody's shot the president"or you were to say to me "Somebody shot the president" it is very unlikely either of us would conciously register it or find it unnatural, and certainly neither would look upon it as an error.What do you think?

Re: Written english vs spoken english

Yankee — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:20:21 GMT

Huevos
The difference between the simple past and the present perfect is just a slight "Sss" sound. "somebody shot the president" versus "somebody's shot the president".

Hi Huevos
If you are a native speaker, then I'm sure you also realize that a native speaker will understand whether that 'sss' sound is there or not. In other words, a native speaker knows whether someone is saying somebody's or somebody. What I'm saying is that in the scenario I gave, I think it is far more likely that an American will use the simple past tense. There won't even be a slight hint of a 'sss' sound connected to the end of the word 'somebody' -- because it just won't be there.

As regards "I ate already", Americans commonly use the words already, yet, and just (for example) with the simple past tense -- especially in spoken English:

- Did you see that movie yet?
- I just saw that movie.
- I already saw that movie./I saw that movie already.

Naturally, we use already, yet, and just with the present perfect as well.

Re: Written english vs spoken english

Yankee — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:40:59 GMT

Hi Yves

I'd say there are a couple of reasons for my (personal) preference of the present perfect in the examples you gave earlier:

1. The past activities I'm mentioning in the email probably took place extremely recently, and the fact that I'm currently writing about those very recent events provides an extremely direct and clear connection to the present and me.
2. Precisely when I spoke to my boss or precisely when I forwarded you mail is not important. It is only important THAT those things were done.

As I said in my last post, however, I can also imagine an American using the simple past tense.

To give you a different sort of example, imagine that someone shot the US president. I cannot imagine any American running around and giving people the news by saying "The president has been shot!" Instead, I would expect the simple past tense: "Hey! Did you hear? Some yahoo shot the president!"

Re: Written english vs spoken english

Yankee — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:39:04 GMT

YSchneider
Thank you, I've received your e-mail OR Yves, I've spoken to my boss and he...or Yves, I've forwarded your mail to our finance department and it will be processed soon!

Hi YSchneider

It sounds like someone might have told you that Americans hardly ever use the present perfect, and that you are now noticing that that just isn't true. Am I right?

Anyway, to answer your question, yes, it is also possible to use the simple past tense in the sentences you posted. Personally, though, I think I'd prefer the present perfect.

By the way, is you name Yves?

Re: Tenses

HexFumes1 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:58:39 GMT

Cheers Optilang. But you know we can use the expression "for" with simple past tense as well if the action took place for a period in the past. What do you think?