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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

need to back-shift?

0Hi,02br
02br
00I think Kooyeen said something like you need to change your tense after verbs like 'thought' since they pertain more to your feelings.02br
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00And I bellieve Mr. M said that the native speakers intuitively back-shift for the sentences like this:02br
02br
01i00I didn't know you have a sense of duty. 02i02br
02br
00But for these??02br
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00When I met a friend I haven't seen for a long time:02br
02br
00Hi, John. Nice to see you. I 01u00didn't know you are married02u00. I am glad you told me you have recently got married. Or Hi, John. Nice to see you. 01u00I didn't know you were married02u00. I am glad you told me you have recently got married.02br
02br
00Going into the store to buy candies:02br
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00Look, John, I01u00 thought this candy is02u00 on sale. I was here yesterday evening and saw it on sale. Let's go buy the candy somewhere else.02br
02br
00Or02br
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00Look, John, 01u00I thought this candy was02u00 on sale. I was here yesterday evening and saw it on sale. Let's go buy the candy somewhere else.02br
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00I feel for those two examples, since they are not concern with someone's feelings, but pertain to factual scenarioes like being married and a candy being on sale yesterday and today, the need to back-shift isn't there for both of those situations like here:02br
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00I thought this car is the best one out there.02br
02br
00I thought buying a house is the best form of investment.02br
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00I thought John is the best-looking dude in the world.02br
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00I thougt Mr. Lee (who is dead) is someone we could consider as a role-model. 0-
  

Top answer

0Please see this: 05002br 02br 00With "I thought" do NOT use the present tense. Do NOT use the present tense. 02br 02br 00Say it with me.

— BarbaraPA

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15 Answers
0
0Please see this: 05002br
02br
00With "I thought" do NOT use the present tense. Do NOT use the present tense. Do NOT use the present tense.02br
02br
00Say it with me. After "I thought," do NOT use the present tense.040pid511093
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Anonymous12cite10I 11u10didn't know you are married12u10.12blockquote
10 Wrong!01blockquote
01cite10Anonymous12cite10 11u10I didn't know you were married12u10. 12blockquote
10 Right!01blockquote
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0Thank you, everyone.02br
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00After all those resounding responses, it would be hard for anyone to go on using a past (whoops, I might have started it again -- that was a slip05000)01u00present02u00 tense after the phrase 'I thought'.02br
02br
00Got cha! Loud and clear. Thank you. Those are the kind of answers I would like
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50010id5
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0Can I expess my frustration as well? 02br
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00NO! Use the PAST TENSE! Present tense is WRONG!!02br
02br
00wow... I feel much better now. Saves me a trip to the shrink05002br
02br
00I recently realized I do make this mistake unconciously...no no subconciously is the right wrod.010id2
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0 «I feel for those two examples, since they are not concern with someone's feelings, but pertain to factual scenarioes like being married and a candy being on sale yesterday and today, the need to back-shift isn't there for both of those situations»02br
02br
00 I don't think it's too deep. It's OK.02br
02br
00 Try contemplating the difference between re
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0Again!0-
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0 What.?. 0-
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0Ant, Nothing really. It's just that this is the third time in just several days some of us are discussing this topic 02br
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00I guess it's a commonly faced problem.0-
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0Ant, I think you need to reread GG's post. 05002br
01i00After "I thought," do NOT use the simple present tense.02i02br
02br
00However, you could use the simple present tense in a direct quote:02br
00"The spider is an insect," I thought (to myself).02br
00"He is married," I thought (to myself). 010id5
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