Sequence of tenses
Okay kiddo, let me explain sequence of tenses to you. Have you ever told a story about something that happened in the past? Maybe you said something like, "Yesterday, I went to the store." When you tell a story, there are different tenses you can use to describe what happened. Tenses tell us when something happened – either in the past, present or future.
Here's where the sequence of tenses comes in. When you tell a story in English, there are rules about which tenses you should use to make sure your story is clear and easy to understand. The sequence of tenses says that when you're talking about something that happened in the past, other verbs in your sentence should also be in the past tense.
For example, let's say you're telling a story about something that happened yesterday: "Yesterday, I saw a dog and it was barking loudly." In this sentence, "saw" is in the past tense because it happened yesterday. But "was barking" is also in the past tense because it's related to what happened in the past.
Now let's say you want to talk about something that happens after that. You would use the past tense for what happened before, and the present tense for what's happening now. For example: "Yesterday I saw a dog and it was barking loudly. Today, I am giving it some water." In this sentence, "saw" is still in the past tense because it happened yesterday, but "am giving" is in the present tense because it's happening now.
So, the sequence of tenses is all about making sure your verbs match up with each other to show when things happened in the past, present, or future. It's like putting together a puzzle – you want to make sure all the pieces fit together perfectly to tell your story.
Here's where the sequence of tenses comes in. When you tell a story in English, there are rules about which tenses you should use to make sure your story is clear and easy to understand. The sequence of tenses says that when you're talking about something that happened in the past, other verbs in your sentence should also be in the past tense.
For example, let's say you're telling a story about something that happened yesterday: "Yesterday, I saw a dog and it was barking loudly." In this sentence, "saw" is in the past tense because it happened yesterday. But "was barking" is also in the past tense because it's related to what happened in the past.
Now let's say you want to talk about something that happens after that. You would use the past tense for what happened before, and the present tense for what's happening now. For example: "Yesterday I saw a dog and it was barking loudly. Today, I am giving it some water." In this sentence, "saw" is still in the past tense because it happened yesterday, but "am giving" is in the present tense because it's happening now.
So, the sequence of tenses is all about making sure your verbs match up with each other to show when things happened in the past, present, or future. It's like putting together a puzzle – you want to make sure all the pieces fit together perfectly to tell your story.