Questions tagged [tenses]
A set of forms taken by a verb to indicate the time and/or completeness and continuance of the action in relation to the time of the utterance.
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What is the distinction between "need to" and "have to"?
I was thinking about these phrases, and noticed that while on the surface, they are identical (indicate something is required), they don't quite work the same. These sentences are identical and are ...
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I have watched that movie vs I watched that movie - it's amazing! You should definitely see it
Scenario:
Your friend is trying to decide whether to watch a movie tonight. They ask for your opinion.
What's the proper response:
I have watched that movie — it's amazing! You should definitely
see ...
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The difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple in this case [migrated]
I feel like I know the difference between the Present Perfect and Past Simple pretty well, but I am still struggling with one thing:
Christine: (1) Have you ever visited / Did you ever visit The ...
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'Like': short form of volitional "would like"
Would like frequently occurs in if-clauses in its more literal volitional sense. Without complementation, would like in
if-clauses is often shortened to just like, especially when the
if-clause ...
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Verb tense in movie and book reviews
When writing a movie or book review, I’m never quite sure which tense to use.
I (admire/admired) the movie because it (is/was) visually stunning. The director uses state-of-the-art technology to ...
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Do present continuous tense(for future meaning) and future continuous tense convey the same meaning and can be used interchangeably?
Do present continuous tense(for future meaning) and future continuous tense convey the same meaning and can be used interchangeably?
See this example " I will be going to work from tomorrow (...
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Why use past future tense in this sentence "in middle age Nelson would die in battle with honour" [duplicate]
In 2005, during a year of celebrations to commemorate the bicentenary
of the death of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, there were also a small
number of low-key events to mark the bicentenary of the birth ...
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Tense simplification in subordinate clauses: exceptions
According to Swan's Practical English (BrE), if the main verb makes clear the time, sometimes such time is simpler in form in the in subordinate clause:
I hadn’t understood what she said (More ...
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Why does using historical present in story telling help to create immediate experience
I was wondering why in story telling or in newspapers, the simple present tense is often used. Some sources say that using the simple present tense helps to add a sense of immediacy. But I could not ...
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'I('ll) bet': optionality of will
I bet (you) can be used in an informal style to mean ‘I think it’s probable that'
I'll bet... is also possible and, in an informal style, present verbs are often used with future meanings after I bet/...
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How is the perfect aspect communicated in the second conditional?
Do all of the verbs in sentences in the second conditional, like “If I were to buy a car, I would buy a Honda” have to be in the past tense if they are a part of the hypothetical scenario described in ...
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Managing tense across an article [duplicate]
I am having trouble figuring out what tenses to use in an article that includes some historical elements, some of which are still current. Suppose I need to write something like this -
Company X ...
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Why would the past subjunctive be more moderate, cautious, or polite than the present indicative?
For the modal verb 'must', in one entry the OED equates it to 'mote':
II.3.
In the present tense, equivalent to the older mote v.1 I.2.
The use as a present arose from the practice of employing the ...
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Can the present tenses of "happen" be used with "actions in the past"?
I found these sentences in an English textbook talking about grammar:
When one action in the past happens in the middle of another, we use the past simple to talk about the shorter action, and the ...
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What is the correct way to say this? [duplicate]
She lie there for a moment, panting and shaking. Or She lay there for a moment, panting and shaking.
