M Mooradist Member Joined Oct 1, 2015 Member Type Other Native Language Arabic Home Country Morocco Current Location Morocco Oct 4, 2015 #1 Hello, Can someone correct this please I was playing basketball when it starts raining. Or I was playing basketball when it started to rain. thanks
Hello, Can someone correct this please I was playing basketball when it starts raining. Or I was playing basketball when it started to rain. thanks
MikeNewYork VIP Member Joined Nov 13, 2002 Member Type Academic Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Oct 4, 2015 #2 Your first sentence is incorrect; your second is correct.
J J&K Tutoring Guest Oct 4, 2015 #3 It's grammatically incorrect, but quite a common way of relating personal experiences in spoken American English. I've heard it called the Historical Present Tense. Slate's Lexicon Valley did a nice podcast about it. I think this is a link: http://www.slate.com/articles/podca...nfeld_and_the_novels_of_charlotte_bronte.html It brings the listener into a more intimate and immediate experience of a past event. A lot of jokes are told in this way: "A guy walks into a bar..." Last edited: Oct 4, 2015
It's grammatically incorrect, but quite a common way of relating personal experiences in spoken American English. I've heard it called the Historical Present Tense. Slate's Lexicon Valley did a nice podcast about it. I think this is a link: http://www.slate.com/articles/podca...nfeld_and_the_novels_of_charlotte_bronte.html It brings the listener into a more intimate and immediate experience of a past event. A lot of jokes are told in this way: "A guy walks into a bar..."
MikeNewYork VIP Member Joined Nov 13, 2002 Member Type Academic Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Oct 4, 2015 #4 Without context, it would be difficult to arrive at that conclusion. But I do agree with your comment about the historical present.
Without context, it would be difficult to arrive at that conclusion. But I do agree with your comment about the historical present.
MikeNewYork VIP Member Joined Nov 13, 2002 Member Type Academic Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Oct 4, 2015 #5 Three guys are walking down the street. Two walk into a bar. The third guy ducks.
Matthew Wai VIP Member Joined Nov 29, 2013 Member Type Native Language Chinese Home Country China Current Location China Oct 4, 2015 #6 Mooradist said: ... when it starts raining. Click to expand... I think it refers to the future instead of the past, as in 'I will stop playing basketball when it starts raining', but I am not a teacher. MikeNewYork said: Three guys are walking down the street. Two walk into a bar. The third guy ducks. Click to expand... Is it like telling a story using the present tenses?
Mooradist said: ... when it starts raining. Click to expand... I think it refers to the future instead of the past, as in 'I will stop playing basketball when it starts raining', but I am not a teacher. MikeNewYork said: Three guys are walking down the street. Two walk into a bar. The third guy ducks. Click to expand... Is it like telling a story using the present tenses?
MikeNewYork VIP Member Joined Nov 13, 2002 Member Type Academic Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Oct 4, 2015 #7 Yes, Matthew. And it is play on words.