hela
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2004
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Arabic
- Home Country
- Tunisia
- Current Location
- Tunisia
Dear teachers,
Would you please tell me which of the following tenses or prepositions are correct, and why should one choose one instead of the other?
“Julie had been walking for hours when she suddenly noticed that the sun was sinking in the sky. She had lost track of time because she had been thinking about the most important decision she (1. make + ever) would ever have to make in her life [is it possible to use a modal here instead of “would”?].
Things had not been the same between Julie and her fiancé, David, since he (2. accept) accepted / had accepted a job in Paris. They had known each other for almost five years, and (3) in / at that time, they had never argued much. Lately, though, their relationship (4. become) became / had become stormy. They seemed to be finding fault with each other and disagreeing about everything. For the first time, she (5. start) started / was starting to wonder if she (5. be) was ready for marriage [how would you explain the use of the simple past of the indicative here after “if”?]. And with the wedding only twenty days away, she (6. modal + make) needed to / had to make up her mind soon [is “need to” considered as a modal / semi-modal?].
Everything in Julie’s life had been going well until her world fell apart just a month before. A large company (7. offer) offered / had offered David an important position that would require him to move to France. Was Julie ready to move halfway across the world, leaving behind her friends and family? If the answer (8. be) was no [same question as in #5], was she ready to say goodbye to the only man she had ever loved?
Best regards,
Hela
Would you please tell me which of the following tenses or prepositions are correct, and why should one choose one instead of the other?
“Julie had been walking for hours when she suddenly noticed that the sun was sinking in the sky. She had lost track of time because she had been thinking about the most important decision she (1. make + ever) would ever have to make in her life [is it possible to use a modal here instead of “would”?].
Things had not been the same between Julie and her fiancé, David, since he (2. accept) accepted / had accepted a job in Paris. They had known each other for almost five years, and (3) in / at that time, they had never argued much. Lately, though, their relationship (4. become) became / had become stormy. They seemed to be finding fault with each other and disagreeing about everything. For the first time, she (5. start) started / was starting to wonder if she (5. be) was ready for marriage [how would you explain the use of the simple past of the indicative here after “if”?]. And with the wedding only twenty days away, she (6. modal + make) needed to / had to make up her mind soon [is “need to” considered as a modal / semi-modal?].
Everything in Julie’s life had been going well until her world fell apart just a month before. A large company (7. offer) offered / had offered David an important position that would require him to move to France. Was Julie ready to move halfway across the world, leaving behind her friends and family? If the answer (8. be) was no [same question as in #5], was she ready to say goodbye to the only man she had ever loved?
Best regards,
Hela