Questions tagged [past-tense]
This tag is for questions related to usage of the past tense in English.
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It seems to be in past [migrated]
What can I use for "It seems to be" in the past?
E.g. It seems to be difference in these texts. (Present, unsure, difference still exists)
It seems ???(there was??) difference in these texts....
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Use of tense in a completed project description [migrated]
I am preparing a project portfolio for a job application in which I describe some of my completed projects in my current role. While the software is still in use today, the projects themselves are ...
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Is it correct to say: "We were eager to know what would happen in year 2050"?
Is it correct to say the following?
We were eager to know what would happen in year 2050.
In the main clause, the sentence uses past simple tense, but in the object clause which tense should be used-...
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past tense vs. present perfect?
In his last game, his mistake (caused / has caused) his team to lose.
which is grammatically correct?
Is the answer the simple past tense because of the word "last" ?
Then is it impossible ...
- 121
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Using "might" in past tense [duplicate]
I'm aware that "may" is generally present tense and "might" is generally past tense, but I came across a sentence in my writing that made me think I might have switched to present ...
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Use of past infinitive
I found an article with these sentences:
I want to have finished the job, before I go home.
You need to have passed the test, or else you won't be admitted.
Uh! You're supposed to have painted it ...
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People now say "back in 1985" or "way back in 1965" instead of just saying "in 1985" or "in 1965". Why this change?
Most native English speakers used to refer to a past time or date by saying something like "in 1936 this or that happened". Now people seem unable to refer to the past - however recent or ...
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have thrust vs have thrusted: Which is the more frequently used past tense and past participle of "thrust"? [closed]
Thrust or thrusted?
As in:
I'm walking through the old neighborhood right now, and, yes, the idiots have thrust (thrusted?) in yet another stupid skyscraper.
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Why is it "I began to look around" and not "looked" [duplicate]
I'm trying to help a German friend with their English, why is it "I began to look around" and not "I began to looked around" And I'm unsure how to explain it to her simply. Thank ...
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Can Past Perfect Continuous tense be used to say that something continued beyond the specified event if we don't even use the duration?
Reference: In the book 'Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings' on page no. 14 it is written that 'The past perfect continuous can be used to talk about a situation or activity that went on before ...
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Do we use the subjunctive with verbs of sense?
An ESL student told me she was taught never to use the subjunctive with verbs of sense (touch, taste, feel, etc.). So, compare the following sentences:
She behaves as though she were the boss.
I ...
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Usage of "may" instead of "might" in the past context
I came across the following sentence while reading "A Clash of Kings" book by George R. R. Martin:
Whitetree was the fourth village they had passed, and it had been the
same in all of them. ...
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Using "will" to describe (one's ideas about?) the past [duplicate]
Is this dialogue idiomatic:
I played football at school.
You [will be/will have been] quite athletic when you met Alice then.
Can you think of other examples?
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Present perfect or past tense in the first part?
Are the following two sentences grammatically correct?
Mark has been injured while he was training.
While Mark was training, he has injured himself.
I am particularly interested in the correct tense ...
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How to use Past Conditional in "It would have been better if my brother had died rather than struck a bargain in the red desert"?
I'm not sure if there's a better way to say this:
It would have been better if my brother had died rather than struck a bargain in the red desert.
Am I using that right? Ugh!
Help me please. This is ...
