SEQUENCE OF TENSES Definition & Meaning

sequence of tenses

grammar the sequence according to which the tense of a subordinate verb in a sentence is determined by the tense of the principal verb, as in I believe he is lying, I believed he was lying, etc

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We now see that the past tense has a third meaning in English: a backshifted event in a sequence of tenses.

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A writer also has to harmonize the tenses according to a scheme called sequence of tenses, tense agreement, or backshift.

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Sequence of tenses would also seem to call for “had,” not “have.”

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Also, the proper sequence of tenses requires “said the controversy had at least reminded.”

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Also, sequence of tenses requires “did not change” after the past-tense “said.”

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