Clause and use of Tenses

Question

0 I remember once my teacher told me that when Present Tense is used in first clause then Present Tense will also be used in second clause. I don't know what does this actually mean? Please explain it. Thank you  0-

Inchoateknowledge · Accepted Answer

0I do not know why (s)he said that.02br
02br
00I do not know = main clause 1.02br
02br
00why (s)he said that.= subordinate clause 2.0-

Philip · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Jackson661212cite10I remember once my teacher told me that when Present Tense is used in first clause then Present Tense will also be used in second clause. I don't know what does this actually mean? Please explain it. Thank you 12blockquote

10 01b01font00That doesn't make sense. Even in conditional sentences ("if you go in there.....") three possibilities exist:02font02b02br
02br
01b01font00present: "you don't have good sense"02font02b02br
02br
01b01font00future: "you will regret it"02font02b02br
02br
01b01font00command: "be careful"02font02b0-

Cool Breeze · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Jackson661212cite10I remember once my teacher told me that when Present Tense is used in first clause then Present Tense will also be used in second clause. I don't know what does this actually mean? Please explain it. Thank you 12blockquote

10Hi Jackson661202br
02br
00You may have misunderstood slightly what your teacher said, or his knowledge of English grammar is very imperfect. Your teacher may have discussed the sequence of tenses, but this grammatical phenomenon does 01b00not02b00 always require you to use the 01b00same02b00 tenses in all the clauses of a sentence.02br
02br
00Example:02br
00I knew he lived/lives in Tokyo.02br
02br
00The past tense of the main clause 01i00(knew)02i00 often leads a native speaker to say 01i00lived02i00 even if the person in question still lives in Tokyo! This is one of the many inaccuracies of English, and I think your teacher had this in mind when he said whatever he said.02br
02br
00Cheers02br
00CB0-

Clive · Answer

0Hi Jackson,02br
02br
01font00I remember once my teacher told me that when Present Tense is used in first clause then Present Tense will also be used in second clause. 02font02br
02br
00There's no rule that simply says you can't use different tenses in the same sentence. You probably misunderstood what your teacher meant.02br
02br
00Consider this normal example. 01font00I live in Toronto, but next year I will move to Montreal. 02font02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive0-

Jackson6612 · Answer

0I hope this sentence is correct.02br
02br
01b00Your teacher 01i01font00may02font02i00 have discussed the sequence of tenses.02b02br
02br
01b01font00Can we use 01i00might02i00 in place of may? If we cannot do that then please let me know the reason.02font02b02br
02br
01b00Your teacher01font00 01i00might02i02font00 have discussed the sequence of tenses.02b0-

Cool Breeze · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Jackson661212cite10I hope this sentence is correct.12br
12br
11b10Your teacher 11i11font10may12font12i10 have discussed the sequence of tenses.12b12br
12br
11b11font10Can we use 11i10might12i10 in place of may? If we cannot do that then please let me know the reason.12font12b12br
12br
11b10Your teacher11font10 11i10might12i12font10 have discussed the sequence of tenses.12b12br
12blockquote

10Hi Jackson 661202br
02br
00All defective auxiliaries or modal auxiliaries (01i00can,coud; will, would; shall, should; may, might; must and ought02i00) can take an infinitive. There are two infintives in both the active and the passive voices in English. As 01i00have discussed02i00 is a perfect infinitive, 01i00Your teacher might have discussed the sequence of tenses02i00 is correct English in the right context. Of course it does not mean the same as the same sentence with 01i00may02i00.02br
02br
00To learn about the auxiliaries, look them up in a grammar book.02br
02br
00Cheers02br
00CB01b01font02font02br
02b00 0-

Jackson6612 · Answer

1font01i00can,coud; will, would; shall, should; may, might; must02i00 and 01i00ought02i00 are auxiliary verbs. 01b00CB02b00, I don't think they have infinitives, such as to shall, to may etc.02font02br
02br
01font01b00CB02b00 said: ''There are two infintives in both the active and the passive voices in English.''02font02br
02br
01font00What are these two infinitives?02font02br
02br
01font00Your teacher 01i00may02i00 have discussed the sequence of tenses.02font02br
02br
01font00Your teacher 01i00might02i00 have discussed the sequence of tenses.02font02br
02br
01b01font00What is difference between the meanings of above two sentences?02font02b0-

Marius Hancu · Answer

0 01b01font00What is difference between the meanings of01font00 the 02font00above two sentences?02br
02br
02font02b00 01font00Y01i00our teacher 01b01i00may02i00 02b00have discussed the sequence of tenses.02br
00 Your teacher 01b01i00might02i02b00 have discussed the sequence of tenses.02br
02br
02i00Not much, perhaps more doubt/hypothetical thinking in 01b00might02b00, but many don't accept that.00 01i02br
02i02font00 0-

Cool Breeze · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Jackson661212cite11font11i10can,coud; will, would; shall, should; may, might; must12i10 and 11i10ought12i10 are auxiliary verbs. 11b10CB12b10, I don't think they have infinitives, such as to shall, to may etc.12font12br
12br
11font11b10CB12b10 said: ''There are two infintives in both the active and the passive voices in English.''12font12br
12br
11font10What are these two infinitives?12font12br
12br
11font10Your teacher 11i10may12i10 have discussed the sequence of tenses.12font12br
12br
11font10Your teacher 11i10might12i10 have discussed the sequence of tenses.12font12br
12br
11b11font10What is difference between the meanings of above two sentences?12font12b12br
12blockquote

10Jackson, your thinking is right. You have misundersood me. There is no such infinitive as 01i00to shall02i00 etc. The 01font00infinitive02font00 is used 01b00in connection with02b00 the auxiliaries:02br
02br
00I will 01font00write02font00 it. It will 01font00be written02br
02font00I will 01font00have written02font00 it. It will 01font00have been written02font00.02br
02br
00They would 01font00write02font00 it. It would 01font00be written02font00.02br
00They would 01font00have written02font00 it. It would 01font00have been written02font00. 02br
02br
00And so on. It would take me too long a time to discuss the defective auxiliaries in detail here. That's why I suggested you study them elsewhere.02br
02br
00Cheers02br
00CB0-

Clause and use of Tenses

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