0
Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Mixing past & present tense in this case
Which one is correct (or both):
"He thought that dancing IS a hard thing" or "He thought that dancing WAS a hard thing"
"He realized that he NEEDS to do something about it urgently." or "He realized that he NEEDED to do something about it urgently."
“I used to think that fishes DON'T know how to speak.” or “I used to think that fishes DIDN'T know how to speak.”
"He thought that dancing IS a hard thing" or "He thought that dancing WAS a hard thing"
"He realized that he NEEDS to do something about it urgently." or "He realized that he NEEDED to do something about it urgently."
“I used to think that fishes DON'T know how to speak.” or “I used to think that fishes DIDN'T know how to speak.”
Top answer
The past tense is always the safer option in such cases for the sake of tense uniformity. However, the present tense is also possible in many such cases, where the statement can hold true irrespective of tense. Anonymous I used to think that fish don't know how to speak.
- The past tense is always the safer option in such cases for the sake of tense uniformity.
- However, the present tense is also possible in many such cases, where the statement can hold true irrespective of tense.
- Anonymous I used to think that fish don't know how to speak.
- I still think they cant.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
The past tense is always the safer option in such cases for the sake of tense uniformity. However, the present tense is also possible in many such cases, where the statement can hold true irrespective of tense.
Anonymous I used to think that fish don't know how to speak.I still think they cant.
0
Related Questions