There's no such thing as "Sequence of Tenses"

Forums: English, Concord, Sequence Of Tenses
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It's a writing assignment for English as a second language, and if you bothered to read it you'll note that the author took a position against increased government funding.

http://able2know.org/topic/135819-1

If Robert had followed the traditional rules of concord, he wouldn't have been able to express this particular thought.

Of course, I'm not a mind reader so I can't say for certain exactly what Robert intended. He could have intended "had bothered" but used, as is often the case, the simple past form instead of the past perfect form.

Or he might not have been focusing on the "past unreal" at all; he could have mixed the tenses as he did, to say, [a bit snarly, but sometimes one just wants and needs snarly],

If you would even bother to go back and read it [but I doubt that you'll be that honest], you'll note ...

use of <'ll> will to add a greater sense of realism, "you will actually note ...".

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@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Of course, I'm not a mind reader so I can't say for certain exactly what Robert intended.

I made a grammar mistake, and you have a penchant for making new threads to highlight the grammar mistakes of others (insert your standard vacillation about how you are not prescriptivist here) to try to get people who ignore you to talk to you. <shrug>

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@Robert Gentel,

And, of course, you fell right into the trap and are talking to this insecure, needy, nerdy individual.

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@Robert Gentel,

Quote:

I made a grammar mistake, and you have a penchant for making new threads to highlight the grammar mistakes of others (insert your standard vacillation about how you are not prescriptivist here) to try to get people who ignore you to talk to you. <shrug>

No, you did not make a grammar mistake, Robert. You have made mistakes about what grammar is, but that's another issue.

And get off this ludicrous "you have a penchant for making new threads to highlight the grammar mistakes of others" bullshit because I've never done that.

You're not dumb so I can't understand how you continue to miss it, even after I showed you, clearly, how mistaken you were, in another thread, when we discussed this same issue.

There was nothing prescriptive in my initial posting in this thread. Point out, clearly, where you think I was being prescriptive.

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@Merry Andrew,

Thank you, Merry Andrew, for providing your usual valuable and insightful comments on the language issues.

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Robert, there are two issues that await you:

1. Describe what you think was "your grammar mistake" and explain why it was a mistake.

2. Show how I was "prescriptive" in my initial posting.

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@Merry Andrew,

aren't we all(Robert , Merry, Panzade and JTT) ESL types?

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@panzade,

What are "ESL types", Panzade?

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@JTT,

English Second Language

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@panzade,

Sorry, Panzade, for not being clearer. I know what ESL means but when it's combined with 'types', well, that's the part that I'm unclear on.

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There's no such thing as "Sequence of Tenses"

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