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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Verb Tenses
I extracted the following sentence form an essay that I wrote this morning about Rembrandt’s paintings, however I having some doubts about the right verb tenses to use (I wrote my choices within square brackets). Could you please help me understand which of the following choices sound more natural? Are there any wrong combinations?
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [would have reflected / would have been reflecting / would reflect] some light which in turn [would have illuminated / would have been illuminating / would illuminate] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting.
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [would have reflected / would have been reflecting / would reflect] some light which in turn [would have illuminated / would have been illuminating / would illuminate] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting.
Top answer
I would say this. The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [reflected ] some light which in turn [ illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting .
- I would say this.
- The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [reflected ] some light which in turn [ illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting .
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8 Answers
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I would say this.
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [reflected ] some light which in turn [ illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting.
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [was wearing / wore] a light colored piece of clothing, which [reflected ] some light which in turn [ illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism to the whole painting.
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Thank you Clive for your answer.
Indeed your sentence would sound very natural to me if I read it somewhere else.
However I am still a bit confused. "Reflected" and "illuminated" refer to finite actions (past simple) right? Would it not be more correct to use verb tenses that suggest the idea of a continuing action in time this case (or at least reinforce the idea of an hypotheti
Indeed your sentence would sound very natural to me if I read it somewhere else.
However I am still a bit confused. "Reflected" and "illuminated" refer to finite actions (past simple) right? Would it not be more correct to use verb tenses that suggest the idea of a continuing action in time this case (or at least reinforce the idea of an hypotheti
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I wouldn't say 'continuous' is wrong, but using all continuous tenses (was wearing/was reflecting/was illuminating) seems to me excessive and unnatural.
What do you see in this text that is hypothetical?
What do you see in this text that is hypothetical?
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CliveWhat do you see in this text that is hypothetical?With "hypothetical" I mean something different from reality, because the painting concerned reflects light in a different manner compared to the original one.
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Sorry, I'm getting confused by what you are trying to say.
The text you posted just talks about an original painting. It doesn't say anything about another painting.
You have to be careful when you use the term 'reality' in regard to a painting., and even more careful if you are tal
The text you posted just talks about an original painting. It doesn't say anything about another painting.
You have to be careful when you use the term 'reality' in regard to a painting., and even more careful if you are tal
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I'm sorry for the confusion I've created.
CliveIs the lecturer perhaps trying to describe some original painting that he has never seen and that may no longer even exist?Is he comparing it to a copy?Yes, the lecturer has never seen the original. The only existing version is a slightly modified version of the original where the lighting looks less realistic than
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Ah, now I see!
I'd probably say this.
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [ would have been wearing ] a light colored piece of clothing, which [would have reflected ] some light which in turn [would have illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism
I'd probably say this.
The lecturer said that in the original painting the woman [ would have been wearing ] a light colored piece of clothing, which [would have reflected ] some light which in turn [would have illuminated ] the woman's face, thus conferring more realism
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