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hereinbeijing · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 101

Hello,
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct? I'm not sure if I should say "what I learned was" or "what I learned is".
1. Back when I was in high school I taught illiterate people how to read. What I learned from this experience is it feels good to help people."
2.Back when I was in high school I taught illiterate people how to read. What I learned from this experience was it feels good to help people."
I'm not sure if I should use the past tense, i.e. "what I leanred was", for I'm talking about something I did in the past and learned in the past. However, it just sounds right when I say "What I learned is"

BigWally · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 4:37 pm Post subject:

Back when I was in high school I taught illiterate people how to read. What I learned from this experience was that it feels good to help people.

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

In my life I HAVE DONE this and that. What I HAVE LEARNT is (that) ...
In my life I DID this and that. What I learnt WAS (that) ...

fluffyhamster · Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:09 am Post subject:

>What I learned from this experience << was < BE > is >> (that) it feels good to help people<

Does the form of BE really matter that much (compared say to the form of FEEL - 'feels' is obviously making a more general statement than 'felt')? That is, the "pivotal" BE would seem capable of "matching back" to the 'learned', or of "matching forward" to the 'feels', hence the apparent choice in its form depending on which way it (or rather the speaker when uttering it) "looks" or "leans".

BTW I am not sure that I agree with BigWally that a 'that' is really needed between the BE and 'it' - in speech, a pause would be sufficient, and in informal writing, just a comma or some other form of punctuation (colon, dash, dots etc). But by all means add the 'that' if the slight increase in word(ines)s sits well with your own eye and ear.

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

I'm gonna go with the Hamster. I agree with everything he/she says in this particular post.

LKJ · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 57

Both are both grammatically correct. They give a time reference to the experience.

1. Back when I was in high school I taught illiterate people how to read. What I learned from this experience is it feels good to help people."
This describes an ongoing emotion. This statement however would be strange if you'd left high school many years ago.

2.Back when I was in high school I taught illiterate people how to read. What I learned from this experience was it feels good to help people."
This describes a past emotion which is used as a reflection. This statement is more likely (the time reference is irrespective of when you left high school).

BigWally · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:32 pm Post subject: