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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Present or Past?

Coke listened for several seconds but he couldn’t hear anything at all. And yet there was smoke coming from the chimney and there was a light on in the front room! “Why is it so quiet? Is it a trap? Are the police waiting for me in there?” he asked himself. He went to the front door and pushed it. To his surprise it was open! He went in very quietly.


According to the previous text, which is the correct question and why?

a) Does Coke know if the police are waiting for him inside the house?

b) Did Coke know if the police were waiting for him inside the house?

Thanks in advanced

Thinking (Spain)

  

Top answer

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4 Answers
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Thanks Mister Micawber

But if the whole situation happened in the past, shouldn't it be only in past the question?

Thinking (Spain)
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No need. The question is being asked now about what the student thinks now about the text he read just now. Shakespeare is the author of 154 sonnets. (Not quite the same situation, but you can see that it depends on how you view the writing and the writer.)
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Mister Micaber, that's an excellent answer!

Thank you so much.

Thinking (Spain)
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