Past Tense

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Casiopea

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jack said:
"I like it demolish." <--correct? why?
"I like it demolished." <--correct? why?
"I like it demolishes." <--incorrect? why? Why doesn't "it" makes "kill" plural?

I like it ________ (Fill in the blank with an adjective)

(a) demolish (verb) :(
(b) demolished (adjective) :D
(c) demolishes (verb) :(

I like it big.
I like it blue.
I like it soft.
I like it hot.
I like it demolished (like that).
 

jack

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"I like it demolished." <--why doesn't "it" make "demolished" either "demolished" or "demolishes"?

eg.
It demolishes him.
It demolished him.
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
"I like it demolished." <--why doesn't "it" make "demolished" either "demolished" or "demolishes"?

eg.
It demolishes him.
It demolished him.

Well, 'it' in "I like it" is not a subject. It's an object. It's the object of the verb "like". Remember that, only subjects agree in number with the verb:

I (subject) like (verb)
S/he (subject) likes (verb)
It (subject) likes (verb)

1. I like it (object) demolished (adjective) :D
2. I like it (object) demolishes (verb) :(
 

jack

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The latest systems use the same sensors and additional technology to add stability control to the technological arsenal. Here the brake can be applied at one wheel during cornering to bring the nose or rear of the vehicle back into the intended line.

Why is "intended" past tense? Is it correct if it is in present tense? why?
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
The latest systems use the same sensors and additional technology to add stability control to the technological arsenal. Here the brake can be applied at one wheel during cornering to bring the nose or rear of the vehicle back into the intended line.

Why is "intended" past tense? Is it correct if it is in present tense? why?

When you come across an -ed word, ask the question, "What kind of____?", like this,

the intended line => What kind of line? => the intended line.

"What kind of" tests for adjectives. intended functions as an adjective in that sentence. :D The line the car is intended to follow. (form: participle; function: adjective)

Other examples

a baked cookie (What kind of cookie?)
the walked dog (What kind of dog?)
our broken home (What kind of home?)
her driven father (What kind of father?)

All the best, :D
 

jack

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"Now you can only hear half of what you can use to hear." <---is this sentence okay? It looks kind of odd to me.

"Now you can only hear half of what you can used to hear." <--is this incorrect? after certain auxiliary words, you would use the base form of the verb?

"Now you can only hear half of what you used to hear." <--is this correct? why?
 

Casiopea

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"Now you can only hear half of what you can use to hear." (Not OK)

1. 'use to' should be 'used to'

2. 'what' refers to the object of 'to hear, like this,

what you used to hear => sounds you used to hear
you used to hear what => you used to hear sounds

3. 'used to' refers to something you did in the past and no longer do today. Note that, -ed is part of its basic form. :wink:

4. 'can' and 'used to' belong to the class "Modals"; they can't be used together (i.e., *will can, *can will, *shall can, *can used to, *used to can)


"Now you can only hear half of what you used to hear." (OK)

Also,

Now you can only hear half of what you used to be able to hear. (OK)

5. 'used to' takes 'to be able to hear' as its object.

All the best, :D
 

jack

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"Now you can only hear half of what you can used to hear." <--this sentence is incorrect right?

*used to can <---why is this incorrrect? can you give me an example?
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
"Now you can only hear half of what you can used to hear." <--this sentence is incorrect right?

It's incorrect. :wink:

*used to can <---why is this incorrrect? can you give me an example?

used to be able to (OK)
used to can (Not OK)

'can' is a modal; modals can't take infinitive 'to',

*to shall
*to can
*to used to
*to would

All the best, :D
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
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
 

Tdol

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'You injured him?' as a question would often be used to show surprise and check that the information is correct.;-)
 

jack

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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?
 

jack

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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?
 

Tdol

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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

;-)
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
"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
 

jack

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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.
 

Casiopea

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jack said:
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.)
 

jack

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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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