Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

I�m interested in the tense or aspect of the phrasal verb "turn out."

Is the third sentence in the following passage natural English? I�m wondering if it is not necessary for the word� turn� to have been �has turned� in the following passage.

Let us consider the relation between reading ability and learning ability.　High reading ability is a complex skill that requires knowledge in a wide range of subjects.　It turns out that the same is true of learning ability.　A basic principle of learning is that the easiest way to learn something new is to associate it with something we already know.

I understand the present tense such as �find� used in the present tense:
I find it easy to drive this car.

I�m curious how you feel about the present tense in the sentence:
It turns out that the same is true of learning ability.　

[dragn]

Use of the present tense (it turns out) is quite common in such sentences: easily the most natural way to use it. There's nothing grammatically wrong with using it in the present perfect if the situation clearly calls for it, but we most commonly use it in the present tense.

We probably tend to use it in the present tense in sentences like the above example because we are normally talking about the end result of some situation; we are referring to something that is ultimately seen to be true, and so in a sense has become established as a true fact. As a result, the present tense feels right to us.

That's about the best way I can explain it. It's not so much about the technicalities of grammar; it's more about the way we feel about what we're talking about.

Greg