Funny
"Remember that funny joke I made in the morning?" = "Remember that joke I made in the morning that WAS funny?" or "Remember that joke I made in the morning that IS funny?" And WHY?
Top answer
You can construe that either way. , the telling of the joke. That happened earlier in the day (this morning), so it's past.
- You can construe that either way.
- , the telling of the joke.
- That happened earlier in the day (this morning), so it's past.
- was.
- Or you can focus on "joke" as a text, a sequence of words that does not exist in time, so it has "eternal existence", which is expressed in the present tense.
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You can construe that either way.
You can focus on "joke" as an action that took place in time, i.e., the telling of the joke. That happened earlier in the day (this morning), so it's past. was.
Or you can focus on "joke" as a text, a sequence of words that does not exist in time, so it has "eternal existence", which is expressed in the present tense. is.
CJ
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