0
Magic79 Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Back shifting (Neil Armstrong (was or is ???) the first man to walk on ...
When do we change tenses???
What do you think of the following sentences?
1- Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. (past event + past verb)
2- Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon. (past even + present verb)
3- I met a girl whose name was Sara. (past + past)
4- I met a girl whose name is Sara. (past + present)
5- The article that I found yesterday was about the conflict in Iraq. (past + past)
6- The article that I found yesterday is about the conflict in Iraq. (past + present)
Please try to answer the question of backshifting (present and past). The examples here are not important as long as the concept is clear. When can we backshift, and when cant we?
What do you think of the following sentences?
1- Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. (past event + past verb)
2- Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon. (past even + present verb)
3- I met a girl whose name was Sara. (past + past)
4- I met a girl whose name is Sara. (past + present)
5- The article that I found yesterday was about the conflict in Iraq. (past + past)
6- The article that I found yesterday is about the conflict in Iraq. (past + present)
Please try to answer the question of backshifting (present and past). The examples here are not important as long as the concept is clear. When can we backshift, and when cant we?
Top answer
See my quotations from Jespersen in this thread: sequence of tenses They will set you right
- See my quotations from Jespersen in this thread: sequence of tenses They will set you right
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
00
All are fine except the second -- to my ear. Armstrong's walk on the moon is not very current information, so I would not use the present tense there in a main clause.
CJ
CJ
0
Related Questions