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LiquidMidnight Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

Tense question

I'm having trouble with the tense of this sentence. The narrative its part of is in simple past tense.

"But despite the calm of the living forest, I knew that it was going to be the moon that guided our safe passage that evening. "

Thanks

(sorry about all the threads, but I'm working on a school assignment.Emotion: wink )
  

Top answer

" The other verbs and verb-appearing words in the sentence are ancillary. "), and "guided" is also in the simple past.

— Krmjr

  • " The other verbs and verb-appearing words in the sentence are ancillary.
  • "), and "guided" is also in the simple past.
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2 Answers
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It's simple past: "...I knew..."

The other verbs and verb-appearing words in the sentence are ancillary. "Living" in the first clause is an adjective modifying forest, "it was going to be" is a verb clause in the simple past ("it was..."), and "guided" is also in the simple past.
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The present form of this is:
...I know that it is going to be the moon that will guide [us]...

Its alternate, using present "guides" for future "will guide", but with the same meaning:
...I know that it is going to be the moon that guides [us]...

The past forms of the same sentences are:

...I knew that it was going to be the moon that would gu
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