0
Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Present or past tense
Today I heard the following news.
Five billion dollar of government spending was wasted last year because of ineffiency.
And my response was as follows:
That is/was a huge amount of money.
Should I say "was" or "is"?
I am a bit confused, because both seems right to me. How do I decide?
Five billion dollar of government spending was wasted last year because of ineffiency.
And my response was as follows:
That is/was a huge amount of money.
Should I say "was" or "is"?
I am a bit confused, because both seems right to me. How do I decide?
Top answer
I also think that both are possible and correct. It depends on the way you want to present this news. If you say was - you refer to the past event If you say is - you are just saying that it is a huge amount of money both then and now.
- I also think that both are possible and correct.
- It depends on the way you want to present this news.
- If you say was - you refer to the past event If you say is - you are just saying that it is a huge amount of money both then and now.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
I also think that both are possible and correct. It depends on the way you want to present this news.
If you say was - you refer to the past event
If you say is - you are just saying that it is a huge amount of money both then and now.
If you say was - you refer to the past event
If you say is - you are just saying that it is a huge amount of money both then and now.
00
5 million dollars is a hugh amount of money, then and now.
AnonymousThat is a huge amount of money.So "is" is the correct choice.
00
Yes, as Ticce says, both are fine-- it just depends on the speakers viewpoint.
0
Related Questions