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Lokon Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Which one to use ?

Hi.

1)I almost started a fight.

2)I almost start a fight.

Should I use the first one for past event that happened, and the second one ( or maybe first one) for the moment that I make a statement about what just happened ?????

I'm not sure which one is right and when to use, please clarify !

Thanks
  

Top answer

Almost always you will want #1, because almost always you will be talking about an event that has already happened -- even if it "just" happened. As a standalone sentence, #2 is unusual. It might be used in a historical-present narrative, but that's about all I can think of.

— Mr Wordy

  • Almost always you will want #1, because almost always you will be talking about an event that has already happened -- even if it "just" happened.
  • As a standalone sentence, #2 is unusual.
  • It might be used in a historical-present narrative, but that's about all I can think of.
  • In combination with other words, other uses are possible.
  • "
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3 Answers
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Almost always you will want #1, because almost always you will be talking about an event that has already happened -- even if it "just" happened.

As a standalone sentence, #2 is unusual. It might be used in a historical-present narrative, but that's about all I can think of. In combination with other words, other uses are possible. For example, when describing habitual action: "Every tim
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lokon1)I almost started a fight ( with a driver on the way home yesterday ).
lokon2)I almost start a fight. - Nothing wrong grammatically, but present tense in this context doesn't sound right to me.
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Thanks for advice. Emotion: wink
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