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Mack&Mack Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Which one is right?
a) When you make a mistake you have to admit that you make a mistake.
b) When you make a mistake you have to admit that you made a mistake.
c) When you make a mistake you have to admit that you've made a mistake.
I learned that you use the simple present tense for general facts.
I am wondering about the range of use of the present tense for general facts. And these are some sentences I can come up with at the moment. Which one is more correct?
b) When you make a mistake you have to admit that you made a mistake.
c) When you make a mistake you have to admit that you've made a mistake.
I learned that you use the simple present tense for general facts.
I am wondering about the range of use of the present tense for general facts. And these are some sentences I can come up with at the moment. Which one is more correct?
Top answer
Hello M&M a) is not correct, because the admission has to follow the mistake. b) would (I think) be fine in AmE, as would c); in BrE you'd mostly use c). ') is fine in the present tense, as it introduces the general rule; but the second 'mistake' phrase is controlled by 'admit', and so must follow the logic of events ('admission' follows 'mistake').
- Hello M&M a) is not correct, because the admission has to follow the mistake.
- b) would (I think) be fine in AmE, as would c); in BrE you'd mostly use c).
- ') is fine in the present tense, as it introduces the general rule; but the second 'mistake' phrase is controlled by 'admit', and so must follow the logic of events ('admission' follows 'mistake').
- MrP
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6 Answers
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Hello M&M
a) is not correct, because the admission has to follow the mistake.
b) would (I think) be fine in AmE, as would c); in BrE you'd mostly use c).
In this example, the first phrase ('When you make a mistake...') is fine in the present tense, as it introduces the general rule; but the second 'mistake' phrase is controlled by 'admit', and so must follow the logi
a) is not correct, because the admission has to follow the mistake.
b) would (I think) be fine in AmE, as would c); in BrE you'd mostly use c).
In this example, the first phrase ('When you make a mistake...') is fine in the present tense, as it introduces the general rule; but the second 'mistake' phrase is controlled by 'admit', and so must follow the logi
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I would accept either b or c. The 'rule' about 'timeless truths' or 'general facts' taking the simple present (which perhaps should really be called the 'simple non-past') applies to your main statement of truth, 'when you make..., you have to....' but not necessarily to all subordination.
'When we leap into the air, gravity pulls us back to earth, unless we have been gorging ourselves
'When we leap into the air, gravity pulls us back to earth, unless we have been gorging ourselves
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Hello M&M, Mr P and Mr Mic
I haven't ever come across this issue before.
If I didn't see your question and answers, I might say like:
"When youmade a mistake, you have to admit you made a mistake" .
(This is a direct translation of our saying in Japanese).
Thank you all for letting me know I was wrong.
paco
I haven't ever come across this issue before.
If I didn't see your question and answers, I might say like:
"When you
(This is a direct translation of our saying in Japanese).
Thank you all for letting me know I was wrong.
paco
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Yours would sound better if you changed the 'when' to 'if', Paco. This would not be a 'general statement' so much as a comment on a past error.
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Mr Micawber
Even in a general statement like this, in the Japanese language, we use the past tense for the adverbial clause, i.e.,"when you a mistake". Maybe we do so because we need use the past tense in the main clause; admit you it. This seems a nice example to understand the difference in clause-tense relations between Japanese and English.
Thank you again.
Even in a general statement like this, in the Japanese language, we use the past tense for the adverbial clause, i.e.,"when you a mistake". Maybe we do so because we need use the past tense in the main clause; admit you it. This seems a nice example to understand the difference in clause-tense relations between Japanese and English.
Thank you again.
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