0
Fongj1821 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

We were meant vs we are meant

Not sure which sentence is correct. Can you guys help me have a look at this.
We can choose to do the right thing at the right time, or we can waste it by doing other things that we were not meant to do.

Should i use were or are? And if so why?
Thanks
  

Top answer

"were" seems better. In your present-tense sentence, it is interpreted as "unreal past" (talking about a hypothetical or imagined situation). "it" has no clear antecedent in your sentence.

— GPY

  • "were" seems better.
  • In your present-tense sentence, it is interpreted as "unreal past" (talking about a hypothetical or imagined situation).
  • "it" has no clear antecedent in your sentence.
  • It seems that you intend it to refer to "time", but this doesn't work properly.
  • You should say "waste time" in full.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
"were" seems better. In your present-tense sentence, it is interpreted as "unreal past" (talking about a hypothetical or imagined situation).

"it" has no clear antecedent in your sentence. It seems that you intend it to refer to "time", but this doesn't work properly. You should say "waste time" in full.
0
0
First of all thanks for your reply.

So using were indicates unreal past or hypothetical situations??

So basically the only mistake in this sentence is that the it should be change to time??

Thanks again for the clarification.
0
0
Yes, if you change "it" to "time" then the sentence reads correctly:

We can choose to do the right thing at the right time, or we can waste time by doing other things that we were not meant to do.

However, looking again, I have some doubts whether my original explanation for "were" is correct. Perhaps other forum members could comment.
0

Related Questions