What [are/were] holding in your hands?
Suppose that your friend is showing you his childhood photo. You have a question for him about it.
(1) What are you holding in your hands?
(2) What were you holding in your hands?
Some of my non-native English speaking friends think "are" is correct because you are asking about what you are seeing right now. My other friends think "were" is correct because you did the holding when you were a child.
What is your opinion? Thank you very much.
Top answer
ansonguy What is your opinion? The disagreement between your friends illustrates the fact that sometimes we can all look at the same situation, and yet not all of us understand it in the same way. What this means in terms of the grammar is that we might use either way of understanding the situation when we want to express it in words.
- ansonguy What is your opinion?
- The disagreement between your friends illustrates the fact that sometimes we can all look at the same situation, and yet not all of us understand it in the same way.
- What this means in terms of the grammar is that we might use either way of understanding the situation when we want to express it in words.
- Both are correct, and which choice you make depends on how you see the situation at the time you ask your question.
- 1) You put yourself mentally in the time when the photo was taken.
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ansonguyWhat is your opinion?
The disagreement between your friends illustrates the fact that sometimes we can all look at the same situation, and yet not all of us understand it in the same way.
What this means in terms of the grammar is that we might use either way of understanding the situation when we want to express it in words.
Both are co
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