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Usage of Was vs is?
The meteor/meteorite fell over thereHow to answer grammatically ambiguous tricky questionsWhich is correct: “I loaned him some money” or “ I lent him some money”?How to indicate “now” in storytelling?Word Choice: Starting a sentence with “If not too long ago”watch vs see depends on tense?Can “I was married two years ago” have more than one meaning?How To Make a Statement Always in Present Tense?Could not, could not have, was not able to. Which one to use in the question below?Manifesto, values, creed or doctrine for a secretive organisation?
Does the choice of present or past tense ("It is..." vs "It was...") make a difference to these sentences?
It is not too long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
It was not long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
word-choice
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 5 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
add a comment |
Does the choice of present or past tense ("It is..." vs "It was...") make a difference to these sentences?
It is not too long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
It was not long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
word-choice
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 5 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
2
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
1
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13
add a comment |
Does the choice of present or past tense ("It is..." vs "It was...") make a difference to these sentences?
It is not too long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
It was not long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
word-choice
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
Does the choice of present or past tense ("It is..." vs "It was...") make a difference to these sentences?
It is not too long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
It was not long ago when humanity learned to live in groups and developed principles to govern themselves.
word-choice
word-choice
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
edited Feb 14 at 18:07
Andrew Leach♦
80k8153257
80k8153257
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
asked Feb 14 at 14:41
Full Time CricketFull Time Cricket
61
61
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 5 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 5 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
2
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
1
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13
add a comment |
Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
2
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
1
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13
Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
2
2
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
1
1
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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You are talking about something that happened in the past, but that comment is explained in the present, I think is better to use the present tense.
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
add a comment |
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You are talking about something that happened in the past, but that comment is explained in the present, I think is better to use the present tense.
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
add a comment |
You are talking about something that happened in the past, but that comment is explained in the present, I think is better to use the present tense.
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
add a comment |
You are talking about something that happened in the past, but that comment is explained in the present, I think is better to use the present tense.
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
You are talking about something that happened in the past, but that comment is explained in the present, I think is better to use the present tense.
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
answered Feb 15 at 4:55
Naye GuerreroNaye Guerrero
1
1
add a comment |
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Both are idiomatic in that context and it is difficult to think of any nuanced difference in meaning.
– WS2
Feb 14 at 14:51
2
I slightly disagree with @WS2, the top one sounds wrong to me. "Ago" means in the past, which doesn't fit with the present "is." Maybe it's more accepted in BrE. Sounds somewhat better if you put a "now" in there, "It is not too long ago now that…" but I'd still recommend just using "was."
– Kevin
Feb 14 at 18:20
1
To me "was" sound more natural and implies looking back over history. Whereas "is" has the feel that you are looking at a timeline of history in a textbook, or is something that might be said by a time traveller.
– James
Feb 14 at 18:20
@Kevin I'm British, and I agree with you that "It is not too long ago ..." doesn't quite sound right.
– TrevorD
Feb 19 at 20:13