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Busanjon
Joined: 28 Jan 2011
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 Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:31 am Post subject: Grammar Question |
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I am a little stumped.
"Presumably you were eating dinner at the time"
Would this be considered past continuous? I keep finding myself sure that it is but then I keep questioning myself about the tense.  |
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Busanjon
Joined: 28 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:43 am Post subject: |
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"We are going to the beach at the weekend. "
Is another one that I can't figure out. I'd rather be sure. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| Busanjon wrote: |
"We are going to the beach at the weekend. "
Is another one that I can't figure out. I'd rather be sure. |
This is present continuous...referring to future.
There are many ways to refer to future in English grammar...using time markers...at/on the weekend...is one of them.
You are correct in your first example.
"Presumably you were eating dinner at the time"
The tense is either past, present, or future.
And again, you are quite right...the auxiliary verb - to be- is in the past tense.
The aspect is continuous.
It is usually the lexical aspect (referring to the semantic properties of verbs) that confuses most students.
Hope this helps a bit. |
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