Confusion in tense

Question

I read this sentence on a blog:"The instructor continued with her list of offenses while hurling our papers at us and demanding we try again."Should it by try or tried? Why?

English_Learner123 · Accepted Answer

I think it's 'try', because the incident is talking about the present, not the past.

CalifJim · Answer

horizon981and demanding we try again.

try is correct. tried is wrong.

This is a grammatical peculiarty of certain verbs and nouns like demand. They are followed by a clause with the present subjunctive, that is, the bare infinitive, where you might expect a different tense. These are related to the imperative (command) form,Try again!

So She demanded, "Try again!" becomes She demanded (that) we try again.

Compare:

Speaking to the salesman, the manager insisted, "Do better!"
The manager insisted that the salesman do better.

This was the strong suggestion given to the employees: "Be on time to work!"
It was strongly suggested that the employees be on time to work.

The requirement was this: "See the dentist twice a year!" It was difficult for me to comply with this rule.
I found it difficult to comply with the rule requiring that I see the dentist twice a year.

CJ

Confusion in tense

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