Search results for 'tag:Simple present' matching tag 'Simple present'

Re: enter...noisy class

Mister Micawber — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:44:51 GMT

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If I asked you to do me only one kindness, Vincent, it would be to avoid the simple present tense. It makes most of your sentences slightly unreal. Do you think that you could do that for me in the future, Vincent? Just one simple thing-- use a different tense and aspect. Use past or future or perfect or progressive:

He entered the noisy class.

When he entered the class, the class was noisy

While entering the class / classroom, it was noisy.-- No; the presumed subject must be the same for enter and be

When entering the class, the class is noisy.-- No (as above)

Re: have got

Skrej — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:52:03 GMT

Hahah, you two make me laugh with these posts.

Yoong, all your emoticons and hyper-links work fine for me. I can click on your links and it brings up the post, just like it's supposed to.

About contractions: It depends upon what kind of contraction. Personal pronoun contractions can be used with everything except the simple present, simple past, and past continuous, including most present forms, and all the future forms. They won't work with the simple past, but they can work with the past perfect, and past perfect continuous. However, they can be a bit ambiguous, so you need to write your sentences so they're clear, or write them out to avoid any confusing cases. Also, contractions are viewed as informal, so be aware of the situation you're writing for, when deciding whether or not to use them.

I'd studied acting before moving to New York. (past. perf.)

You weren't studying? (past cont. but -it's not a personal pronoun contraction.)

You'd been studying when she called. (past. perf. cont.)

I'll do it in a minute( simple future)
I'll have finished it by the time you get home. (future perf.)

However:

He's tired. (Unclear- Is it "He is tired" (simple present), or "He has tired" (pres. perf.)

Re: I've been "wanting" to visit Paris all my life.

Avangi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:52:43 GMT

Hi Viceidol,

Thus far we have examples of three tenses: simple present, present progressive, and present perfect progressive. As Philip says, the present progressive seems awkward with "I am wanting." I don't know if it's considered incorrect.

The other two seem fine, correct, and natural. I want to go to Europe. (simple present) I've been wanting to go to Europe. (present perfect progressive)

I expect I might use "I am wanting" (I'm wanting) in certain cases similar to "I'm thinking." I'm thinking I might run out of gas. I'm thinking I shouldn't be spending so much time on my homework.

When I switch from a standard (stick) shift to an automatic transmission, I'm wanting to push in the clutch when I come to a full stop. I'm wanting to ask her for a divorce, but I keep thinking about the children. Somehow, these seem natural to me.

I am wanting has the same feel as I keep wanting.

Best wishes, - A.

Edit. Hi Yankee, I got interrupted while I was writing this, and didn't see your post.

Re: should have done

Huevos — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:53:04 GMT

Marius Hancu
what you have on the left is considered non-standard these days (no should/would in the if clause).

Why? I agree with you in the case of "would" but maybe not in the case of "should". "Should" and "were" both lend themselves to inversion, while "would" does not. Not that that proves anything though since simple present and past can't be inverted either without the clause losing its meaning, just my little theory though. Can you point me to a valid resource where it says using "should" in an "if clause" is frowned upon?

Re: dissolve

New2grammar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:58:15 GMT

Actually, I feel your points are reversed. the simple present sounds more like information to me. Water doesn't boil at 70. Fire does create heat.

Re: modal 'would'

26TMNTJG2PG — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:37:16 GMT

Anonymous
I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner.

Let us recast the sentence in direct speech, that is, you are speaking to Mark, "When you arrive (simple present tense is most suitable here - I wonder you can use any other tense), we shall/will go out for dinner."

When you turn that into an indirect speech, the sentence will become, " I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner."

Re: Please help me with Tenses

Clive — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:10:58 GMT

Hi,

Simple Present: I study English

Present Continuous: I am studying English

Present Perfect: I have studied English

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English

Simple Past: I studied English

Past Continuous I was studying English

Past Perfect: I had studied English

Past Perfect Continuous:I had been studying English

Future: I will study English

Future Continuous:I will be studying English

Future Perfect:I will have studied English

Future Perfect Continuous? I will have been studying English

or some more? You might want to look at 'future (and past) with going to'. There's also the Passive Voice.

Best wishes, Clive

Please help me with Tenses

Nessitas — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:52:46 GMT

Simple Present: I study English

Present Continuous: I am studying English

Present Perfect: I have studied English

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English

Simple Past: I studied English

Past Perfect: ?

Past Prefect Continuous:?

Future: I will study English

Future Continuous: ?

Future Perfect:?

Have Past Continuous? Future Perfect Continuous? or some more?

Re: Can you say this?

Clive — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:45:51 GMT

Hi,

Do you participate in it aside from filming it?

Instead of saying:

Do you participate in it aside from filming it?
I'd say 'apart from' is more common than 'aside from'. But here, I think I'd prefer 'as well as'.
I assume that you are asking the person about their regular habits/routines, since you are using Simple Present.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: What is the difference?

Clive — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:37:32 GMT

Hi,

What is the strict differenceãbetween âwe learn (#1)â and âWe will learn (#2)â

#1. Wednesday, March 12th. Hey! more on moments and centers of mass. Today we learn how to compute such quantities for regions whose boundaries are defined by given functions. One use of the Simple Present is, as here, to indicate that an event is already scheduled. eg my plane leaves at 3 pm today.

#2. Friday, April 18th. Today we will learn how to find power series for a huge variety of more arbitrary functions, using the method of Taylor series, about which you can read in Section 11.10of your textbook This does not offer the same stress on the scheduled nature of the event. It's more of a prediction.

Best wishes, Clive