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LeGion12359 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Simple Grammar

1. It could be very cold in winter.
2. London, England could be really expensive for a man like you.
Do the above sentences belong to simple present tense, talking about possibilities? If no then what's the reason?
  

Top answer

The verbs in those sentences have no tense as such. They are modal forms.

— Fivejedjon

  • The verbs in those sentences have no tense as such.
  • They are modal forms.
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8 Answers
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The verbs in those sentences have no tense as such. They are modal forms.
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fivejedjonThe verbs in those sentences have no tense as such. They are modal forms.
Alright, But what are they talking about? Present or past?
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LeGion12359Alright, But what are they talking about? Present or past?
That often depends on context.

1. I didn't like Tallinn. It could be very cold in winter.
2. I don't think you should go to Estonia next year. It could be very cold in winter.

#1 is about the past, #2 about a hypothetical future.
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fivejedjonThat often depends on context.1. I didn't like Tallinn. It could be very cold in winter.2. I don't think you should go to Estonia next year. It could be very cold in winter.#1 is about the past, #2 about a hypothetical future.
Thank you Teacher, I understood
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LeGion123591. He will play cricket in the evening. This is a simple future sentence. As we all know that 'will' is also a modal verb then why it's showing a tense here?
For most grammarians these days it is not 'showing a tense'.
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fivejedjonFor most grammarians these days it is not 'showing a tense'.
You meant to say that most of the grammarians don't believe in a 'tense called Future'?
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Many grammarians believe that English has only two tenses; these are commonly, if unhelpfully, generally known as the present and past tenses. 'Will' is simply a modal that is used in two of several common ways of expressing futurity. There is no future tense as such.
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fivejedjonMany grammarians believe that English has only two tenses; these are commonly, if unhelpfully, generally known as the present and past tenses. 'Will' is simply a modal that is used in two of several common ways of expressing futurity. There is no future tense as such.
Alright, thank you once again Teacher
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