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Sophianz Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

TENSE: past or present?

Hi. I would like to ask you about the following sentence.

What you should have done is call the police.

The expression "what you should have done" means "what you needed to do and what you did not do in the PAST." So I think it is more appropriate to use the past tense in the sentence above. Am I wrong?

I would appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

" So I think it is more appropriate to use the past tense in the sentence above. Am I wrong? You are not wrong (though you mean 'past participle', not 'past tense').

— Mister Micawber

  • " So I think it is more appropriate to use the past tense in the sentence above.
  • Am I wrong?
  • You are not wrong (though you mean 'past participle', not 'past tense').
  • However, the form used is very common and widely accepted.
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4 Answers
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sophianzThe expression "what you should have done" means "what you needed to do and what you did not do in the PAST." So I think it is more appropriate to use the past tense in the sentence above. Am I wrong?
You are not wrong (though you mean 'past participle', not 'past tense'). However, the form used is very common and widely accepted.
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Thank you for your reply, Mister Micawber.
I think I might not be clear. What I would like to ask is this.
Is it possible to use "was" instead of "is"?

What you should have done was call the police.
Is it grammatically correct?

I hope for your reply. Thank you.
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sophianzIs it possible to use "was" instead of "is"?What you should have done was call the police.Is it grammatically correct?
It is grammatically correct and the native choice.
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Thank you for your reply.
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