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Chris Bryant Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Tense Question
Hi, I'm writing about a past job experience. It starts like this: "I used to have a job going door-to-door. We would drive to a specific neighborhood."
My question is: Should it be "we would drive" or "we drove?" And does using the word "would" somehow change the tense? If so, what tense should I be using to tell this story? Thanks!
My question is: Should it be "we would drive" or "we drove?" And does using the word "would" somehow change the tense? If so, what tense should I be using to tell this story? Thanks!
Top answer
The two are mostly the same, they're both past tense. "we drove" is an active phrase, and "we would drive" is a passive phrase. It makes the reader feel removed from the experience, makes it sound fanciful.
- The two are mostly the same, they're both past tense.
- "we drove" is an active phrase, and "we would drive" is a passive phrase.
- It makes the reader feel removed from the experience, makes it sound fanciful.
- Like a happy memory of the past.
- "We drove" is probably better for, say, a resume.
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4 Answers
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The two are mostly the same, they're both past tense.
"we drove" is an active phrase, and "we would drive" is a passive phrase. It makes the reader feel removed from the experience, makes it sound fanciful. Like a happy memory of the past.
"We drove" is probably better for, say, a resume.
As well, you might want to say "I had a job" instead of "I used to have a job", for t
"we drove" is an active phrase, and "we would drive" is a passive phrase. It makes the reader feel removed from the experience, makes it sound fanciful. Like a happy memory of the past.
"We drove" is probably better for, say, a resume.
As well, you might want to say "I had a job" instead of "I used to have a job", for t
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Jaylorwe would drive" is a passive phrase.It is not a passive phrase.
'Would' can be used to indicate a habitual past activity. It is similar (not identical) in meaning to 'used to'.
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What I meant is that it sounds passive, not that it's "passive" as grammar defines it. Sorry for the confusion.
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OK, I think I see what you're saying. Thanks! So how would this go later in the paragraph? "But what I started doing if I didn't like the neighborhood to which we were assigned … I just started walking." How would that go? Because I don't know if that sounds right?
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