This tag is for questions about the usage of tenses to refer to the past.
past-tense is for questions about the usage of the past tense in English.
Questions tagged [past-tense]
2112 questions
9
votes
4 answers
"I'm born and brought up in India" - I don't want to use the 'past' tense here
I read this question here and this one is different because the second clause is in present tense.
I'm born and brought up in India. - too commonly practiced in India.
I was born in India is correct over I'm born in India. I am pretty clear on…
Maulik V
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8
votes
3 answers
Why is past continuous wrong in this sentence?
So I had an exam recently where in one problem we had to complete sentences with verbs in either past simple or past continuous tense.
One of the sentences was something like this:
He _______ in France when she first met him. (live)
Most of us…
Korvin
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7
votes
3 answers
Compared to or Comparing to?
I am not sure what is compared in this phrase but it seems that people believe it as the correct word.
She is nice, compared to you.
You're nicer, compared to him.
But why? What makes compared correct? Grammatically a past verb needs a subject…
Chaesar Ibrani
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6
votes
4 answers
Past simple vs used to vs would
I feel a little tangled in grammatical nuances and would like you to help me clear some things out. I know it's possible to use either the past simple, "used to" and "would" to talk about past habitual actions. But is the use of the last two of them…
Bebop B.
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5
votes
1 answer
How do you used to feel / How did you use to feel
How do you used to feel before?
How did you use to feel before?
Do both questions ask about the past?
Do they mean the same?
Are they both correct?
arm
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4
votes
4 answers
When "have studied" takes place
What is the right meaning of the sentence?
No.1 or No.2?
박용현
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4
votes
2 answers
"It was raining" vs. "It rained" -- When to use which one?
Do the sentence "It was raining" and the sentence "It rained" mean the same thing?
Another example: "I walked to the park" vs. "I was walking to the park" mean the same thing? When to use which?
Another example: "I was walking to the park, then it…
bluejimmy
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4
votes
2 answers
Do I need "had" in the following question?
Was it because some emergency (had) happened?
This is written in past-tense narration, and the character is referring to an event in the past (based on her current "present").
So do I need to add "had"? Why or why not?
wyc
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4
votes
2 answers
hanged or hung?
Source: Parents receive body of first Russian to die in Syria, doubt suicide
Example:
The body of the first Russian serviceman confirmed dead in four weeks of air strikes in Syria was delivered on Tuesday to his parents, who said they were not…
Michael Rybkin
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4
votes
1 answer
Should I say "the reason is" or "the reason was"?
I was wondering if you could turn the "the reason is [...]" phrase into the past tense.
Can you turn "The reason I was late is because I slept in this morning." to "The reason I was late was because I slept in this morning."?
Should I have to push…
jess
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4
votes
3 answers
Continuous or Simple with "hold"?
Look at theses sentences taken from an esl exercise:
In Nigeria, a three-year-old British girl has been reunited with her parents after being freed by kidnappers in southern Nigeria who had held her for four days.
Margaret Hill's parents, Mike…
Yves Lefol
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4
votes
3 answers
Does "this is the first time I have eaten sushi" mean I have finished eating or I'm still eating sushis?
This is the first time I have eaten sushi and I liked that
that should be possible because have eaten means that my meal is finished but I'm not sure or should use like
Yves Lefol
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4
votes
1 answer
had never thought with would
"I had never thought I would be surprised again in my life until I did it ."
Does it work ? I think so because doing this thing makes the man realised he had not thought about it before.But it seems that "had never thought with would" is very…
Yves Lefol
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4
votes
1 answer
Why "did" and not "had done"?
He had relocated the same day as I did after switching university. We kept in touch regularly.
Why did and not had done if both relocated the same day, same tense should be used?
Yves Lefol
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4
votes
2 answers
Please let me know when you finish or finished?
A or B and Why?
I don't know whether I shall use "finish" or "finished"?
A. Please let me know when you finish.
B. Please let me know when you finished.
Ray