By Tenses, Constructions

Hi teachers ,I know that we have the construction : WOULD RATHER + SUBJECT+ PAST TENSE :I would rather he went to meet Mr Brown now.Can I use WOULD PREFER the same way?i.e.Can I say" I would prefer he went to meet Mr Brown now." instead?By the way ,I see these sentences on the Internet...

I agree. I forgot to mention that. English is inexact in this respect and I was just trying to concentrate on the possible difference in meaning. "... what I used to think about you is of course also possible" but nothing grammatical requires it. As everybody knows, it is very common.CB

If I were to tell you what I think (thought?) of you, I'd be sacked from my job Hmmm. To me, in this type of construction, "thought" does not have to refer to the past. It can do, but, for me it can (and very often does) mean that you think it right now. Addition: If I wanted...

Hi all,Thanks in advance for your help in answering this question. I'm trying to explain to a non-native English speaker that a certain usage is either incorrect or awkward, but I find myself unable to do so. At this point, I'm just confusing myself in trying to explain it.So her...

I'm not aware of any classification of the as if constructions into first, second, and third. From what I've seen, they can parallel the first, second, and third conditionals in their tense patterns, but usage is much more free. That is, they don't always conform strictly to those...

You changed the tense. Did you mean to? If you meant "When you are ready, I am waiting for your answer." then, yes, it's very similar in meaning to "Whenever you are ready, I'm waiting for your answer.", and the two are often interchangeable. "Whenever" has...

Only one s in present!!! You can't use will with the stative verbs in this construction: } _______Your example with make sure does not belong to the pattern above. There's no indirect question.Make sure (that) you come back soon.A make sure that pattern is not followed by a future...

.Tenses are not the problem.An excellent township project by renowned developers with 40 years’ experience and with over 70 world-class projects and numerous awards to their credit has now begun construction / has now been completed / is now holding open house / is now available for viewing at...

Sitting at my writing desk beside the open window, and working on my English assignment, I was stunned/amazed by the soft evening glow, gently landing on my blank sheet and covering the white space with their yellow and orange shades, seemed like gold. A few comments: 1. "Stunned"...

Hi,... and somebody says it's subjunctive. See also:http://www.englishforums.com/English/ChangingTenses/dqcdx/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichSentencesAreCorrect/zjbhp/post.htm