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Milky Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Now
Do you think the use of "now" is correct here:
Susan began to tremble, since now John had become very angry.
Susan began to tremble, since now John had become very angry.
Top answer
I wouldn't use it like that, the tense is so far back in the past that it sounds odd try: Susan began to tremble, since John had become very angry at that point.
- I wouldn't use it like that, the tense is so far back in the past that it sounds odd try: Susan began to tremble, since John had become very angry at that point.
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8 Answers
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I wouldn't use it like that, the tense is so far back in the past that it sounds odd
try:
Susan began to tremble, since John had become very angry at that point.
try:
Susan began to tremble, since John had become very angry at that point.
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And these:
Once the child was born, the king's waistline shrunk even more, since now he had to figure out who would be on the invitation list to the baby's christening.
http://www.ithaca.edu/students/jgoldbe4/fairytales.html
Surely it was obvious to the d
Once the child was born, the king's waistline shrunk even more, since now he had to figure out who would be on the invitation list to the baby's christening.
http://www.ithaca.edu/students/jgoldbe4/fairytales.html
Surely it was obvious to the d
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gosh, you are demanding!
Please understand that these remarks are made in a discursive, not a didactic way!
It seems ok in the first one, and the third one, as it is being teamed with "since" .. which suggests a shift in the time frame
it seems ok in the second one because there is a sense of progressive movement; the writer is using present participles (getting of
Please understand that these remarks are made in a discursive, not a didactic way!
It seems ok in the first one, and the third one, as it is being teamed with "since" .. which suggests a shift in the time frame
it seems ok in the second one because there is a sense of progressive movement; the writer is using present participles (getting of
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By nature I am often demanding, but I didn't read your first reply as didactic. 
"Susan began to tremble, since now John ha
"Susan began to tremble, since now John ha
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The original sentence about Susan and John makes sense to me. Perhaps it's because we use "now" in that sense in Spanish, also with a verb in the past perfect.
Actually, all four sentences posted sound right to me. Shall I go back to school? I don't want to be fired!
Actually, all four sentences posted sound right to me. Shall I go back to school? I don't want to be fired!
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I guess it is more to do with semantics and style than a "grammar" rule... in all of your examples and obviously NOT just t
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... since now he had moved up the bus and was standing next to the door.
.... seeing that now he had moved up the bus and was standing next to the door .
The situation at the now of the present moment in the narrative (was obvious). Something had already been completed (had moved) at that time.
This is also where I noted "since" as a conjunction in th
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