The interesting thing is that the past tense of the subordinate clause can easily refer to the present time, as in Hello! I didn't know you were here. 'Most commonly is a case of a past tense in a main clause being followed by a past tense in a subordinate clause. However, it is also true that the sequence-of-tense rule doesn't occur in all languages. Trask, the sequence-of-tense rule (also known as backshifting) is 'less rigid in English than in some other languages' ( Dictionary of English Grammar, 2000). 'The ordinary sequence of tenses,' say Bryan Garner, 'is to have a past tense verb in the principal clause when the subordinate clause is in the past tense.' Sometimes, however, this sequence is violated 'by having the principal verb in the present tense' ( Garner's Modern English Usage, 2016).Īs observed by R.L. In English grammar, the term sequence of tenses ( SOT) refers to agreement in tense between the verb phrase in a subordinate clause and the verb phrase in the main clause that accompanies it.
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