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MyShirley Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Is it correct?
I met a friend who is an Asian international student.
Do we have to use the past tense in the relative clause "who is an Asian international student" to maintain tense consistency?
Do we have to use the past tense in the relative clause "who is an Asian international student" to maintain tense consistency?
Top answer
Your sentence is fine. Presumably the friend is STILL an Asian international student, but the meeting took place in the past. If you had said "I met a friend who WAS an Asian international student," you would be saying that the person is no longer an Asian international student.
- Your sentence is fine.
- Presumably the friend is STILL an Asian international student, but the meeting took place in the past.
- If you had said "I met a friend who WAS an Asian international student," you would be saying that the person is no longer an Asian international student.
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5 Answers
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Your sentence is fine. Presumably the friend is STILL an Asian international student, but the meeting took place in the past.
If you had said "I met a friend who WAS an Asian international student," you would be saying that the person is no longer an Asian international student.
If you had said "I met a friend who WAS an Asian international student," you would be saying that the person is no longer an Asian international student.
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Grammar GeekYour sentence is fine. Presumably the friend is STILL an Asian international student, but the meeting took place in the past.What if I say "Last week, I met a man who was an
If you had said "I met a friend who WAS an Asian international student," you would be saying that the person is no longer an Asian international student.
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Hi guys,
What if I say "Last week, I met a man who was an Asian international student"? Is the man still an Asian international student?
He may or may not be. In such cases, the use of the simple past is always correct. But the present is possible, if the fact is still true. eg
A: I'm cold.
B: Sorry, I couldn't hear. What did you say
What if I say "Last week, I met a man who was an Asian international student"? Is the man still an Asian international student?
He may or may not be. In such cases, the use of the simple past is always correct. But the present is possible, if the fact is still true. eg
A: I'm cold.
B: Sorry, I couldn't hear. What did you say
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Do we have to use the past tense in the relative clause "who is an Asian international student" to maintain tense consistency?No. Most of the guidelines for tense consistency have to do with verbs of knowing and reporting followed by a "that" clause, not relative clauses.
Take this as an example:
I'll talk to the man who discovered the discrepancy
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