[Grammar] I just wanted you to know that ...

[kadioguy]

(On the comic strip Snoopy)

A. (Charlie Brown writes a letter)
Dear Miss Swillstory, I suppose you have heard about the banning of your book from our library.

B.
Well, I just wanted you to know that I am fighting for you. I have even hired an attorney.

C. (Charlie Brown looks at Snoopy)
Snoopy: The suppressing of evidence ought always to be taken for the strongest evidence!

D. (Charlie Brown continues to write the letter)
Such as he is.

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1. Why does Charlie Brown use "wanted" in the past tense in "well, I just wanted you to know ..."? Is he explaining why he writes "Dear Miss Swillstory, I suppose you have heard about the banning of your book from our library"?

2. I assume that "well, I just want you to know ..." is also OK, and that it expresses "(now) I just want you to know ...."

What do you think?
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(Source)

 

[emsr2d2]

"want" would work just as well and expresses a general fact. "wanted" puts the emphasis more on what he wanted to do when he decided to write the letter.

 

[kadioguy]

"wanted" puts the emphasis more on what he wanted to do when he decided to write the letter.

Thank you, emsr2d2.

So do you mean what Charlie Brown wanted to do when he decided to write the letter is/was "I am fighting for you"?

By the way, should I use "is" or "was"? Could you tell me the reason?

 

[jutfrank]

1. This is a very tough question and you won't find many clear and satisfactory answers to it. I could give you my own insight but it would take quite a lot of effort to explain fully and it will get very abstract. Suffice to say that the use of the past tense form is not related to time, but to directness. Think of the past tense form as more indirect.

2. Yes, it's also okay. It does not express a general fact. It's just that it's more direct.

 

[emsr2d2]

No. What he wanted to do was let her know he was fighting for her. The method he chose to use to let her know was writing her a letter.

I'm not going to get into this "is/was" nonsense again.

 

[kadioguy]

Thank you, emsr2d2 and jutfrank. For question 1, you both gave me two possible answers.

I'm not going to get into this "is/was" nonsense again.

I am sorry to hear you comment that this is "nonsense". If I knew which one to use and why, I wouldn't ask it. OK, I assume I should use "was", because that happened in the past.

 

[jutfrank]

OK, I assume I should use "was", because that happened in the past.

I don't think you should assume that.

 

[kadioguy]

I'm not going to get into this "is/was" nonsense again.

I assume I should use "was", because that happened in the past.

I don't think you should assume that.

But I see emsr2d2 used "was". Could you tell me more about this? :shock:

PS - English learners whose mother language doesn't have verb tenses may have questions like this, so I think this question is worth it.

No. What he wanted to do was let her know he was fighting for her. The method he chose to use to let her know was writing her a letter.

 

[Tarheel]

Kadioguy, you need to simplify. Look at all the quotes in that post. It's confusing!

If you have a question, make it as simple as possible.

As for why a person used a particular tense at a particular time that sometimes requires a person to be a mind reader.

Isn't it the most important thing to understand what something means?

 

[kadioguy]

Kadioguy, you need to simplify. Look at all the quotes in that post. It's confusing!

If you have a question, make it as simple as possible.

Thank you for the reply, Tarheel.

My question now is about how I should write my post in #3:

Do you mean what Charlie Brown wanted to do when he decided to write the letter is/was "I am fighting for you"?

Should I use "is" or "was"?

I said in post #6, 'I assume I should use "was", because that happened in the past.'

jutfrank replied to me in post #7, 'I don't think you should assume that.'

I replied to jutfrank in post #8, 'But I see emsr2d2 used "was". Could you tell me more about this?'

No. What he wanted to do was let her know he was fighting for her. The method he chose to use to let her know was writing her a letter.

==========

Another part is for emsr2d2's comment.

I'm not going to get into this "is/was" nonsense again.

I said, 'I am sorry to hear you comment that this is "nonsense". If I knew which one to use and why, I wouldn't ask it. ...'

And then I added a note in post #8, 'PS - English learners whose mother language doesn't have verb tenses may have questions like this, so I think this question is worth it.'

=========

As for why a person used a particular tense at a particular time that sometimes requires a person to be a mind reader.

Isn't it the most important thing to understand what something means?

Yes, I agree with you. So I am asking which I (rather than other people) should use, 'was' or "is".

 

[emsr2d2]

Use a bit of logic here. The verb "wanted" expresses a time in the past. Logically, do you think "is" or "was" is more likely? I'm not saying that this consideration will work every time but it's a very good starting point.

I apologise if my use of the word "nonsense" upset/annoyed you. It's just that many of your previous posts have veered quickly away from the original question because you start asking about the use of tenses in our responses.

 

[jutfrank]

Use a bit of logic here. The verb "wanted" expresses a time in the past.

Just to be clear—I'm disputing that the past tense wanted expresses past time. I'm not sure that it does. At least, I don't think that's a fully satisfactory explanation of why the past tense is used.

kadioguy—since you're getting two different answers from emsr2d2 and myself, please make it clear whom your posts are addressing. The thread is already more confused than necessary.

Let's deal with your post #3 now. Here it is:

Thank you, emsr2d2.

So do you mean what Charlie Brown wanted to do when he decided to write the letter is/was "I am fighting for you"?

By the way, should I use "is" or "was"? Could you tell me the reason?

The blue sentence is not right. Let me correct it:

kadioguy: So do you mean that what Charlie Brown wanted to do when he decided to write the letter was to say "I am fighting for you."?

emsr2d2's: Yes.

 

[kadioguy]

kadioguy—since you're getting two different answers from emsr2d2 and myself, please make it clear whom your posts are addressing.

Thank you, jutfrank. Now I understand it clearer.

kadioguy: So do you mean that what Charlie Brown wanted to do when he decided to write the letter was to say ...?

emsr2d2's: Yes (logically you should use was).

This question could be asked to emsr2d2, but not to jutfrank. Because emsr2d2 thinks "wanted" in the original sentence has something to do with the time in the past, whereas jutfrank doesn't think of it in this way. This is why jutfrank said in #7, "I don't think you should assume that." (jutfrank thinks the above question shouldn't exist. )

 

[emsr2d2]

Perhaps I should have made it clearer that I meant that "wanted" referred to the past in the original sentence. I can't see how "What he wanted to do ..." could refer to anything but the past.