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Thread: Past Tense

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack
    1. "Did you injure him?" <--correct?
    2. "You injured him? <--correct?
    Both are correct. :D

    In 1., the auxiliary "Did" carries Past Tense (Note, Does (present), Did (Past). Within a sentence only one verb can carry tense. That's why "injure" does not have a "-d". That marker is placed on "Did".

    You injured him? (Past tense)
    Did you injure him? (Past tense)
    Did you injured him? (Not OK; there are two Past tense markers)

    All the best, :D

  2. #32
    Tdol is online now Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    'You injured him?' as a question would often be used to show surprise and check that the information is correct.

  3. #33
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    "That is, the amount of power you get out of the engine compared to the weight of the engine itself is very good." <--correct? why? what does it mean?

    "That is, the amount of power you get out of the engine compare to the weight of the engine itself is very good." <--correct? why? what does it mean?

  4. #34
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    "I felt something fell out of my pocket." <--correct? if not, why? what does it mean?
    "I felt something fall out of my pocket." <--correct? if not, why? what does it mean?
    "I feel something fall out of my pocket." <--correct? if not, why? what does it mean?
    "I feel something fell out of my pocket." <--correct? if not, why? what does it mean?

  5. #35
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    "I felt something fell out of my pocket." <--correct?
    No

    "I felt something fall out of my pocket." <--correct?
    Yes- it's a bare infinitve (without 'to')

    "I feel something fall out of my pocket." <--correct?
    Yes

    "I feel something fell out of my pocket." <--correct?
    No- mismatch of present tense and past when it shoul be any tense + bare infinitive


  6. #36
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    "I felt something fell out of my pocket." <--why is this incorrect?

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack
    "I felt something fell out of my pocket." <--why is this incorrect?
    "I" is the subject of "felt"; "something" is the object of "felt". "fell" carries tense but doesn't have a subject, so its base form is used, "fall":

    A. I felt something fall out of my pocket. (Object)
    B. Something fell out of my pocket. (Subject)

    C. I felt something that fell out of my pocket. (Subject)

    By the way, A. and C. carry different meanings.

    All the best, :D

  8. #38
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    By the way, A. and C. carry different meanings.
    I can't determine what's the difference in meaning between the two. Can you explain it to me? Thanks.

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by jack
    By the way, A. and C. carry different meanings.
    I can't determine what's the difference in meaning between the two. Can you explain it to me? Thanks.
    A. I felt something fall out of my pocket. (Object)
    C. I felt something that fell out of my pocket. (Subject)
    In A., I noticed the object fall out of my pocket.
    In B., I touched the object after it fell out of my pocket. (That is, it fell out, then I picked it up and touched it.)

  10. #40
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    "Your little brother saved you this time." <--correct?
    "Your little brother saves you this time." <--correct?
    What's the difference in meaning between the two?

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