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Perfect Stranger Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Grammar question no. 58:

Dear All,

In the following sentence, should we use present or past simple after I... in the second clause?

In all honesty, I'd be lying if I told you I am/was not a bit disappointed about how things turned out. .

Thanks a lot.
  

Top answer

Both are possible.

— RandomGuy

  • Both are possible.
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6 Answers
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Aspara GusBoth are possible.
Could you please tell me the difference between them? I don't know which of those two I should choose...
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Perfect Stranger Aspara GusBoth are possible.Could you please tell me the difference between them? I don't know which of those two I should choose...
In all honesty, I'd be lying if I told you I am/was not a bit disappointed about how things turned out. .It depends on your time reference: being disappointed at the time (and possibly getting o
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If your time of reference is the present, you can backshift to was.
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Perfect Strangerpresent or past simple
Most native speakers would instinctively pair "told" with "was" and "turned".

You can use "am" if you want to insist on the idea that you are still disappointed at the time of speaking, but the need for such emphasis comes up less often.

CJ
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