Can you please give an example of a pair of sentences where a change in the tense of the subordinate requires a corresponding change in the tense of the main verb?The sentence can be influenced by the tense of the subordinate.
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- Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:04 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
- Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:32 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
- Sat Feb 20, 2010 6:40 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
- Sat Feb 20, 2010 6:07 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
Before I went to school, I had eaten a big breakfast. But, here, the tense and aspect of the main clause is influenced by the subordinate... I don't think so. Consider the following: 1. I got up at 7am. Before I went to school, I ate a big breakfast. 2. I arrived at school at 8am. Before I went to ...
- Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:26 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Group Poem Exercise
- Replies: 20
- Views: 31417
They cut my mobile phone off yesterday I sit bereft, and brood upon my loss At night I lie abed and turn and toss I cannot roam because I could not pay And sleep won't come to me so here I lay Beside my phone--a wireless albatross It lay stone dead inert but for green moss And yet I shrink from cast...
- Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:06 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: A(n)
- Replies: 15
- Views: 21106
isn't there a slight difference between the a in fat and the a in bang --even among the non-drawling population? Not in (southern) England. We do lengthen the short 'a' slightly in some words, but 'bang' is not one of them. The 'a' is lengthened in bad, mad, ham, jam, exam, dam, damn, lamb, ram, dr...
- Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:56 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Group Poem Exercise
- Replies: 20
- Views: 31417
They cut my mobile phone off yesterday I sit bereft, and brood upon my loss At night I lie abed and turn and toss I cannot roam because I could not pay And sleep won't come to me so here I lay Beside my phone--a wireless albatross It lay stone dead inert but for green moss And yet I shrink from cast...
- Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:23 am
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Group Poem Exercise
- Replies: 20
- Views: 31417
Re: Group Poem Exercise
Cellular Blues
They cut my mobile phone off yesterday;
I sit bereft, and brood upon my loss.
They cut my mobile phone off yesterday;
I sit bereft, and brood upon my loss.
- Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:36 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
- Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:37 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
He had refused to go, until he had seen all the pictures. The comma definitely suggests meaning (b). He saw all the pictures, then he agreed to go. (Whereas with meaning (a), he might have changed his mind and stayed.) I think the choice between the past perfect and past simple in the main clause m...
- Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:31 am
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Past Perfect showing completion
- Replies: 57
- Views: 98845
Re: Past Perfect showing completion
My question: If I were not to bother showing the sense of completion conveyed by the past perfect--as in sentence d (which isn't essential as shown in the examples above), is the following sentence grammatical? He had refused to go till he saw all the pictures. It is grammatical, but you need to be...
- Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:04 am
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Modal 'would'
- Replies: 33
- Views: 58585
- Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:10 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Modal 'would'
- Replies: 33
- Views: 58585
Please clarify. Is the following category the place you would put implied conditional? Opinion or hope * I would imagine that they'll buy a new one. * I suppose some people would call it torture. * I would have to agree. * I would expect him to come. * Since you ask me I'd say the blue one is best....
- Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:11 pm
- Forum: Grammar
- Topic: Modal 'would'
- Replies: 33
- Views: 58585
Hi there - I have a new username (I was ACB in the old forum). I can think of the following uses of would : 1. Future in the past ( I knew what would happen ). 2. Past, indicating habit ( When I was young, I would often watch football on Saturdays ). 3. Past, indicating determination ( I tried to di...