Tense help!

English grammar and usage issues

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RobMilne
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Joined: 16 Dec 2020, 22:09
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Tense help!

Unread post by RobMilne »

Hi all,

I have come across two similar phrases which I can't seem to understand why they make sense and I was hoping somebody could enlighten me!
  • Text messages will be used for...
  • Text messages are used for...
For the first phrase, I know it's in the future tense but I can't decide what form. The use of "used" is throwing me off as this is the past participle of the verb "to use" so how can this be used to describe a future action with past tense language? The future form would be "using" which isn't right.

The second phrasing is confusing me for the same reason. "Are" is present tense, but "used" is past. So which is it? Future or past?

I have been reading about non-finite verbs for past participles where the form of the verb doesn't actually reveal the tense of the sentence. Is this along the right lines?

Any help is very much appreciated. :)
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Joe
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Re: Tense help!

Unread post by Joe »

RobMilne wrote: 16 Dec 2020, 22:39 Hi all,

I have come across two similar phrases which I can't seem to understand why they make sense and I was hoping somebody could enlighten me!
  • Text messages will be used for...
  • Text messages are used for...
For the first phrase, I know it's in the future tense but I can't decide what form. The use of "used" is throwing me off as this is the past participle of the verb "to use" so how can this be used to describe a future action with past tense language? The future form would be "using" which isn't right.

The second phrasing is confusing me for the same reason. "Are" is present tense, but "used" is past. So which is it? Future or past?

I have been reading about non-finite verbs for past participles where the form of the verb doesn't actually reveal the tense of the sentence. Is this along the right lines?

Any help is very much appreciated. :)
Both sentences are in the passive voice, the structure of which is:
auxiliary verb BE + main verb PAST PARTICIPLE
The tense is carried by the auxiliary verb, which can be past, present or future, and the main verb is always past participle.

The president was attacked.
The president was being attacked.
The president is being attacked.
The president has been attacked.
The president will be attacked.
The president will have been attacked.
etc

Please see: https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/passive-voice.htm
"We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood :? " — Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood

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