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hela
Joined: 02 May 2004
Posts: 420
Location: Tunisia
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 Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:32 pm Post subject: sentence + tense |
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Dear teachers,
1) Would you please tell me WHY we have to use the present perfect in this sentence?
It isn't the first time Harold HAS SEEN the two Polish soldiers.
2) Would you please tell me which tenses can be used in this sentence:
She was afraid her friend
a) would tell (would you call this a future in the past ??)
b) had told
c) anything else ?
her parents the truth.
All the best,
Hela |
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MrPedantic
Joined: 02 Jan 2006
Posts: 116
Location: Southern England
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:49 am Post subject: Re: sentence + tense |
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Hello Hela
1) You would say this if the event were happening now, or if you were reporting a recent event. The sentence brings two events together: the current sighting of the soldiers, and one or more previous sightings. So the phenomenon "seeing the two Polish soldiers" has both a present and a past dimension. Hence the present perfect: it's the tense you use to make a connection between the present and the past.
2) Here are some possibilities:
"She was afraid her friend X her parents the truth." =>
"Why didn't she let her friend talk to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend would tell her parents the truth."
"Why didn't she let her friend talk to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend might tell her parents the truth."
"Why didn't she go home, after her friend spoke to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend had told her parents the truth."
"Why didn't she go home, after her friend spoke to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend had been telling her parents the truth."
"Why didn't she go home, after her friend spoke to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend might have told her parents the truth."
"Why did she refuse to believe what her friend had said to her parents about her boyfriend?" "She was afraid her friend was telling her parents the truth."
"Why has she gone out, when her friend is sitting in the living room with her parents?" "She was afraid her friend will tell her parents the truth."
See you,
MrP |
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hela
Joined: 02 May 2004
Posts: 420
Location: Tunisia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:13 am Post subject: |
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Thank you very much, MrP. Very specific as usual. 
| Quote: |
| "Why didn't she go home, after her friend spoke to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend might have told her parents the truth." |
Are "may" and "might" interchangeable here, or should I only use "might have told" for tense concord?
| Quote: |
| "Why has she gone out, when her friend is sitting in the living room with her parents?" "She was afraid her friend will tell her parents the truth." |
Can we use the past "was" and the future "will tell" in the same sentence?
I thought that even though we refer to a future action (in future time) we had to agree it with the verb in the past.
Now, I thought of other possibilities in the subjunctive with "lest". What do you think of them?
1) She was or is (?) afraid LEST her friend should tell her parents the truth.
2) 1) She was or is afraid LEST her friend tell her parents the truth.
3) 1) She was afraid LEST her friend should have told (in the past ??) her parents the truth.
4) 1) She was afraid LEST her friend told or had told (?) her parents the truth.
See you soon,
Hela |
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MrPedantic
Joined: 02 Jan 2006
Posts: 116
Location: Southern England
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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Hello Hela
| Quote: |
| "Why didn't she go home, after her friend spoke to her parents?" "She was afraid her friend might have told her parents the truth." |
Are "may" and "might" interchangeable here, or should I only use "might have told" for tense concord?
� "may" here sounds slightly off to me; but other speakers may not object!
| Quote: |
| "Why has she gone out, when her friend is sitting in the living room with her parents?" "She was afraid her friend will tell her parents the truth." |
Can we use the past "was" and the future "will tell" in the same sentence?
I thought that even though we refer to a future action (in future time) we had to agree it with the verb in the past.
� There is a slight possibility of confusion if you use "would": it might be taken to mean that her friend didn't tell her parents after all. With "will", we know that "she" was afraid, and so has gone out, but that her friend hasn't yet told her parents. (I'm beginning to wonder what exactly she intends to tell them.)
1) She was or is (?) afraid LEST her friend should tell her parents the truth.
� Both are possible: with "is", we know that her friend hasn't yet told her parents the truth. With "was", we don't know.
2) 1) She was or is afraid LEST her friend tell her parents the truth.
� Both sound fine, with meanings as for #1.
3) 1) She was afraid LEST her friend should have told (in the past ??) her parents the truth.
� Yes; she was afraid in the past; the possible truth-telling seems to be located before the being afraid.
4) 1) She was afraid LEST her friend told or had told (?) her parents the truth.
� "told" sounds a little odd to me; but other speakers might find it ok. "Had told" is fine; again, the possible truth-telling precedes the being afraid.
Have a good Sunday!
MrP |
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