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Bamboozler Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Seems simple

I'm an editor at our company's magazine and my chief editor and I have a disagreement on a sentence.

He says -

'Mid way through his dinner, John saw the subject walked into the restaurant.'

I know that's wrong, but I cannot explain why.

My version is either to use 'walk' or 'walking'

Which is correct and why?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Hi, I am from Brazil. I don´t know if i´m able to answer your question. But if I could answer it, I would say: First of all, you cannot use two verbs in the past together: saw walked.

— Anonymous

  • Hi, I am from Brazil.
  • I don´t know if i´m able to answer your question.
  • But if I could answer it, I would say: First of all, you cannot use two verbs in the past together: saw walked.
  • You can either say: saw walk or saw walking I think it depends on the speaker´s point of view: if you use 'walk' it means that the action is over; if you say 'walking' means that the action is happening at the moment you are speaking.
  • I hope I could help you.
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6 Answers
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Hi,

I am from Brazil. I don´t know if i´m able to answer your question. But if I could answer it, I would say:

First of all, you cannot use two verbs in the past together: saw walked. You can either say:

saw walk

or

saw walking

I think it depends on the speaker´s point of view: if you use 'walk' it means that the action is over; if you say 'wal
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Alexandre from Brazil is correct, your editor is wrong and you , my friend, are caught between a rock and a hard place. How do you tell your editor that he's got it wrong?

Alexandre's two past-tense verbs rule is a good explanation.

Or- ask your editor to email me. I'll tell him
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Thanks mate! I'll try to google that rule and see what I get.
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Hmmm, I'm not getting much headway looking for 'two past tense rule' is ti known as something else?
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BamboozlerI know that's wrong, but I cannot explain why.
Ask the chief editor if he means

Midway through his dinner, John [saw / noticed] that the subject walked into the restaurant.

If so, suggest that the addition of that would make the idea more clear.

If not, he's wrong.
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Oh I know he's wrong ... I need to EXPLAIN why he's wrong
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