that's the news for tonight

Forums: English, Esl, Grammar
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Thank you, JTT.

In the Murder of Roger Ackroyd:

When asked whether murder could have been done before a certain time, a person replies:

-'That's out of the question,' I said.

The writer uses THAT IS not THAT WAS; is it because IS is more easy to slip off the tongue?

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@WBYeats,

Quote:

In the Murder of Roger Ackroyd:

When asked whether murder could have been done before a certain time, a person replies:

-'That's out of the question,' I said.

The writer uses THAT IS not THAT WAS; is it because IS is more easy to slip off the tongue?

Even with the limited context, I would say IS is used because the speaker states that the facts supporting his/her contention represent a truism that is the ongoing truth/they may be of the general condition, similar to "My home is in London" or .

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@WBYeats,

WBYeats wrote:

When asked whether murder could have been done before a certain time, a person replies:

-'That's out of the question,' I said.

The writer uses THAT IS not THAT WAS; is it because IS is more easy to slip off the tongue?

That is (now, in the present, which, for the speakers, is when the conversation takes place) out of the question.

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Thank you, contrex and JTT.~

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that's the news for tonight

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