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Grapepark Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary
Tenses for narrating in the past
When we narrate a story in the past, what tense should we use for the second part of the sentence?
For example which one is correct when I mean he had fever at the moment(in real time)?
I found out that he had caught a fever./ or he had had a fever.
I found out that he had / or he caught fever.
I found out that he has caught a fever.
I found out that he has a fever.
For example which one is correct when I mean he had fever at the moment(in real time)?
I found out that he had caught a fever./ or he had had a fever.
I found out that he had / or he caught fever.
I found out that he has caught a fever.
I found out that he has a fever.
Top answer
Hello Shininggirl. Your question implies that only one tense should be used in the second part of such a sentence. In fact several tenses are possible, depending on the circumstances.
- Hello Shininggirl.
- Your question implies that only one tense should be used in the second part of such a sentence.
- In fact several tenses are possible, depending on the circumstances.
- In your examples, you use a reporting tense in the simple past (he found out ).
- It's usual in such circumstances to shift the tense of the verb in the subordinate clause down a tense, thus: I find out that he has caught a cold.
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2 Answers
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Hello Shininggirl.
Your question implies that only one tense should be used in the second part of such a sentence. In fact several tenses are possible, depending on the circumstances.
In your examples, you use a reporting tense in the simple past (he found out). It's usual in such circumstances to shift the tense of the verb in the sub
Your question implies that only one tense should be used in the second part of such a sentence. In fact several tenses are possible, depending on the circumstances.
In your examples, you use a reporting tense in the simple past (he found out). It's usual in such circumstances to shift the tense of the verb in the sub
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So the correct sentence is this one:
I found out that he had had a fever.
Now another questions arises! when I want to narrate something in the past and the second part of the sentence is an event which had happened before that, how do we say that.
I found out that he had had a fever.
Now another questions arises! when I want to narrate something in the past and the second part of the sentence is an event which had happened before that, how do we say that.
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