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| Thread ID: 62753 | 2005-10-18 14:10:00 | Present or past tense? | Ninjabear (2948) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 397391 | 2005-10-18 14:10:00 | Hmm.Have a question....Everybody is giving me mix answers Lucy _______ everything I told her. In the gap.Would you fit the word Believed or believes? |
Ninjabear (2948) | ||
| 397392 | 2005-10-18 17:11:00 | Hmmmmmmmmmmm . . . Lucy _______ everything I told her . In the gap . Would you fit the word Believed or believes? OK, since the word "told" indicates past-tense, not past-perfect, then I suggest the correct application here is: Lucy believed everything I told her . (Past simple case here) or Lucy had believed everything I told her . (Past-perfect tense here, a little sloppy, but understandable and not too far out of line) However if you were to write it this way: Lucy believes everything I am telling her . (Present simple case here) You indicate an ongoing and therefor current condition that requires the use of "believes" . This could also work for another situation too: Lucy believes everything I have told her . (Present-case reflexive here, showing a terminus in time or place, again a little sloppy) All-in-all, the cases must concur with each other to make literate sense . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 397393 | 2005-10-18 17:11:00 | I am hardly a grammar expert (already had this pointed out :rolleyes: ), but you need to match tenses. For that sentence, it should be past tense with "Lucy believed everything I told her", or for present tense "Lucy believes everything I tell her". |
Jen (38) | ||
| 397394 | 2005-10-18 17:13:00 | Lol - I see Joe has posted the same time as me with a nice detailed explanation. :) | Jen (38) | ||
| 397395 | 2005-10-18 17:31:00 | Hmm..Thanks for the reply I thought everybody would be in bed by 2am.Didn't expect the question would be answered so soon |
Ninjabear (2948) | ||
| 397396 | 2005-10-18 18:20:00 | Actually, both are correct, depending on context. If talking to your mates about how you explained away the listick on your underwear, you could say (in present tense, describing her current state of mind, but speaking of an earlier event) "Lucy believes everything I told her". "Lucy believed everything I told her" would be a simple statement in past tense, possibly a story your mates already knew as you jacked it up the previous night. It all depends on where Lucy sits in the chronological sense, in relation to the persons to whom you are currently speaking. Of course if you were John Bobbit you'd have issues other than grammatical correctness to worry about, but you'd certainly be tense! Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 397397 | 2005-10-18 18:39:00 | Hmm . . Thanks for the reply I thought everybody would be in bed by 2am . Didn't expect the question would be answered so soon I am in California, US here and I have GMT-7 . I am up when you are sleeping . . . I think . Sometimes I sign on here and there aren't even any visitors online . . . that's why I get so many posts for your early-morning-at-the-breakfast-table-reading . It might just be the comic relief you need to start the day . ;) :D :o :) |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 397398 | 2005-10-18 18:40:00 | Hey Jen.......is there any way to timestamp the posts? | SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 397399 | 2005-10-18 22:18:00 | Hey Jen.......is there any way to timestamp the posts? Just above your name there a time stamp :) |
stu161204 (123) | ||
| 397400 | 2005-10-18 22:23:00 | Depands on your relationship with Lucy, If you were married it would be Lucy disputed everything I told her. |
Metla (12) | ||
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