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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > past tense
past tense
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hema.chandra
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past tense
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change it to past tense. She does not know what to put in the mix. She didn �t knew what to put in the mix. or She didn �t know what to put in the mix. please explain 2.is star countable or uncountable & why? |
18 Jul 2012
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yanogator
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Simple past negative uses "didn �t" with the bare infinitive, just as simple present negative uses "doesn �t" with the bare infinitive.
She didn �t know what to put in the mix.
"Star" is a countable noun, because you can count stars. There are three stars in the belt of the constellation Orion. I think that what is confusing you is the fact that we can �t count all the stars in the sky (except in a cute joke that I know in Spanish, which only works in Spanish). That doesn �t affect the fact that the noun is a countable noun. Similarly, "drop of water" and "grain of sand" are both countable.
Bruce |
18 Jul 2012
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MoodyMoody
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I always tell my students when using do for questions or negative in simple present and simple past, "The change goes on the do, not the main verb." It works both for the third person singular in simple present and for the simple past. So, yes, Bruce is absolutely correct.
He is also correct that stars are countable, both the celestial and Hollywood kinds. He also points out that units of uncountable/non-count nouns ARE countable, but I �ll generalize his specifics.
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18 Jul 2012
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libertybelle
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An easier way of remembering is:
When the helping verb (auxiliary verb) didn �t is is past tense
The main verb know is in present tense:
Do, does, didn �t, did are helping verbs.
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18 Jul 2012
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yanogator
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No, that isn �t a present tense. It �s the bare infinitive, which happens to have the same form as the present tense. Bruce |
18 Jul 2012
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cunliffe
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Yes, yes, Bruce; bare infinitives, countables and uncountables, all very good, but what about the cute Spanish joke? Come on, Bruce please. |
18 Jul 2012
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yanogator
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OK, here it is. For all of you who don �t know Spanish, I apologize for taking up space. Many of you might know this joke already.
�Cuantas estrellas hay en el cielo?
Answer in white font, so highlight it to read it. >> cincuenta <<
Confused? Now highlight this, to explain the answer. >> sin cuenta << |
18 Jul 2012
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majocasciaro
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Hema. Chandra, are you an English teacher???? If so, you cannot be asking such questions... |
18 Jul 2012
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hema.chandra
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Thank you for all your replies & brief explanations. |
20 Jul 2012
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