![]() ![]() A present-tense sentence that uses a present participle becomes the past tense through the main verb of the sentence, not through the participle that accompanies it as auxiliary verb, verb-into-noun or modifier. In non-finite clauses, present participles are verbs in a dependent clause that joins to an independent clause: "Sitting alone, I am perfectly content." Change the main verb, and it's just as easily past tense: "Sitting alone, I was perfectly content." Even used as nouns or adjectives, they are appropriate in past tense: "That was good thinking on her part" and "The sinking sun was beautiful." Present Participles Work AnywhereĪ writer can successfully use present participles in past-tense narratives, as long as he remembers that the word "present" in the "present participle" is its form, not its tense. Because stories show us chains and sequences of events, often we need to jump back and forth between earlier and present scenes and times. Thus, a continuous tense formation in a past-tense narrative is simple: "John was thinking about Mary" or "Alice was running home" or "She was drinking too heavily." Incidentally, the present participle lends itself just as easily to future tense: "One day, John will be thinking about Mary more and more." Any Usage Worksīy the same token, the other usages of present participles are perfectly appropriate in past-tense narratives. Once that vote has been sent, what is the past tense I dont think that I can bring myself to use texted, but always saying sent a text message seems. ![]() However, the same present participle can be used in past tense: "I was thinking." The main verb "was," not the participle, determines the tense. ![]() Present Participles Don't Determine Tense ![]()
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