[Grammar] sequence of tenses

[Rashid1]

Is it OK to use the Present tense in Subordinate clause if a verb in the Principal clause is in the Past tense?

For example:

I thought that I was bound
To do everything right,
To find what it feels like,
When dreams come to life,
When one learns how to fly.

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

What is the source of your quote?

Note that there was no reason to capitalise "present", "subordinate", "principal" or "past" in your post. They are not proper nouns.

 

[Raymott]

Yes, there's no problem with that.
"I thought I should find out what it feels like when dreams come true."
"I thought about why the sun rises every day."
This is quite easy when talking about 'eternal truths'. It's less common when the present tense is limited to a discrete event.
"I thought about why I still go to college." This is often back shifted to "I thought about why I still went to college." But there's no rule against it.

 

[Rashid1]

Thank you!

The source of my quote is me. Should I have pointed it out?

I think I see what you mean, but in the grammar book I use it is the Subordinate Clause and the Principal Clause, so now I'm confused. Can it be that when I speak about clauses in general I should use capital letters and when I speak about clauses in a specific sentence I shouldn't?

 

[Matthew Wai]

Are those capitalized terms used as titles or entries in your grammar book?

Not a teacher.

 

[Rashid1]

Are those capitalized terms used as titles or entries in your grammar book?

Not a teacher.

Mostly, but not always.

 

[Tdol]

Some might regard them as names and use capital letters, but most people don't capitalise.

 

[Rashid1]

Some might regard them as names and use capital letters, but most people don't capitalise.

What about names of tenses? Is it always say Present Simple or just in titles?

 

[emsr2d2]

What about the names of tenses? [strike]Is it[/strike] Do/Should we always [strike]say[/strike] capitalise Present Simple or just when the words are in titles?

I would only capitalise them if they are part of a title, in which most words would be capitalised anyway.

In titles
Chapter 1: The Use of the Present Simple
Chapter 2: Why the Past Perfect is Not Always Perfect
Chapter 3: Using the Subjunctive Correctly

In normal sentences
One of the first things a student should learn is how to use the present simple.
The past perfect is difficult to master.
Some people say the subjunctive does not exist in English.

 

[Barb_D]

What about the names of tenses? Do we always write it as [STRIKE]always say [/STRIKE]Present Simple or just in titles?

There is no need to capitalize the names of tenses.

We ask the source for a few reasons.
First, if it's from something written a hundred years ago, the use of language changes, and what may have been correct or natural then may not be so now. Likewise, if the writer is not a native speaker him/herself, that tells us something as well.
Second, it could be a copyright violation to not acknowledge the source.
Third, if it's yours, it tells us more about your understanding of English.

 

[Rashid1]

There is no need to capitalize the names of tenses.

We ask the source for a few reasons.
First, if it's from something written a hundred years ago, the use of language changes, and what may have been correct or natural then may not be so now. Likewise, if the writer is not a native speaker him/herself, that tells us something as well.
Second, it could be a copyright violation to not acknowledge the source.
Third, if it's yours, it tells us more about your understanding of English.

I would definitely have written the source of the quote if it wasn't mine. I just assumed that it wasn't necessary, because I had made it up myself. Thank you for explaining.

As for my previous post, I intended to use "say" as "for example", but forgot about the comma. Would it still have been incorrect?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would definitely have written the source of the quote if it wasn't mine. I just assumed that it wasn't necessary, because I had made it up myself. Thank you for explaining.

As for my previous post, I intended to use "say" as "for example", but forgot about the comma. Would it still have been incorrect?

Unfortunately, many users of this forum are not aware that they must quote their source. That's why we always ask where a piece came from. To save that happening, you can simply put something like "I wrote the following sentences. Can you tell me if they're correct?" or similar.

Had you written "Is it always, say, "Present Simple" or "Past Perfect"?", that would have been correct and we would have understood that "say" meant "for example".

 

[Rashid1]

I see. Thanks.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Clicking on the 'Thank' button can obviate the need for a new post saying 'Thanks', such is one of the many unwritten rules on this forum.

 

[Rashid1]

Clicking on the 'Thank' button can obviate the need for a new post saying 'Thanks', such is one of the many unwritten rules on this forum.

You see, just pressing on the button wasn't enough for me. I was overflown with gratitude. I just couldn't help it. So please forgive me for breaking a rule, especially an unwritten one.

 

[Barb_D]

Hi Rashid,
I appreciate that you want to say "thank you" to people, but when you add a new post just to say "thanks" we think "Oh, someone has a new question." So we open the thread, thinking there is still more to help with, only to see that it wasn't needed.

It's actually more respectful to follow our wishes to click on "Thank."

 

[Rover_KE]

Additionally, Rashid, some of us have older computers with slow download speeds. It's actually very annoying to wait a minute or more just to read a 'thank you' post.