I thought it is vs I thought it was

Question

Hi,I hear people using the phrases 'I thought it is' and 'I thought it was' to express what they want to make note of and I wonder what possible ramifications are in terms of their usage.I thought the apple was of an excellent quality. -- To me, it means that his thought on the quality has expired (that is, the thought process occurred in the past) and it is possible that the apple in question might not be in existence now.I thought the apple is of an excellent quality. -- To me, like above, his thought on the quality has came about in the past as indicated by the past tense 'thought' but unlike the above case, the apple should be in existence now.    Do you have a different assessment of the sentences?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

To me, it's always

thought ... was
thought ... were
knew ... was
knew ... were

The other combinations with is / are are wrong.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

is-present
was- past tense

Anonymous · Answer

Hi,

I think I got what you meant earlier.

When it is apple is of an excellent quality. , the sentence addresses that it is a general fact where everyone has accepted sincethen.That's mean apple has been proved scientifically that i has an excellent quality.,i.e vitamins..etc

When it is apple was of an excellent quality., the sentence indicates that the apple whose referred in this sentence is no longer in excellent quality,perhaps it has already expired.

Even so, at some point, this rule of thumb is not widely accepted as it is. Some people might think, when you are using 'was' instead of 'is' here, it is just another indication or way to show that the statement was done prior now.

Therefore, 'was' or 'is' is just fine here and both interchangeable. But, to reduce the chance of people to get confused on your sentence, you can use what has been mentioned by CJ above.

Rule of thumb:
1) Use past tense when you are talking about past event. Don't consider present tense if you are willing to talk about past.

2) Use past tense or present tense when you are talking about FACT. FACT that is still acceptable will be clubbed with present tense, meanwhile, for FACT that no longer acceptable, use past tense.

I thought it is vs I thought it was

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