Debbie
Joined: 18 Sep 2007
Posts: 2
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:48 am Post subject: that clauses and verb tense |
 |
|
Greetings,
I'm seeking input to analyse the function of 'that' followed by future verb tense. In the sentence, "We've decided that next year you're going to cut back on your consumption so that IBM will make more profit." My thoughts are: "have decided" is present perfect. "That" is making a prediction thus the future forms "are going to cut back" and "will make" are required. Are "are going" and "will" acting as modals? Please help me disect this sentence. |
|
Eric Thompson
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 148
Location: Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Dear Debbie: 'Are going to' is the same as 'will', which denotes the future tense. 'Will' is a modal (helping, auxiliary) verb, but doesn't fit well after 'decided'. You can easily substitute other modals like 'should' or 'must' for 'are going to'/'will'. They make more sense. 'Are going to'/'will' better follow verbs like 'hope', 'trust'...And the function of 'that' is as a subordinate conjunction. |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
