can we say?

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ESL forum > Ask for help > can we say?

can we say?

can we say?

Hi, Can we say: Did you know the exam is tomorrow? Thanks

1 Nov 2015

hi ,

i think you need to attend a very good high school English language, you will find your answers at there.

1 Nov 2015

Yes, you can say that. It �s correct.

Someone still says that to me in my nightmares very often. :-)

1 Nov 2015

Hi Pretty. Just to add to Tapioca �s answer, this can be confusing as some languages require the future tense for future events, but not English in contexts like this.

I used to love exams (except maths).

Isn �t it good to have the smileys back?

1 Nov 2015

As cunliffe says, this is what I explain to my students as the "future + timetable" simple present (I know, I know, but I couldn �t think of anything more catchy).

An exam is usually on a schedule, or programme or timetable, like school term dates, buses, boats, aeroplanes and regular meetings at the office. So we treat them like regular events (because that �s what they are). That is not the same as a meeting that you put in your diary and is not repeated regularly, because then we �d normally use present continuous (okay stop pulling your hair out now).

So if you can imagine seeing the future event on a board somehwere, with a time or date next to it, then you can use the simple present. E.g.

My train leaves tomorrow at 8am.
The new school term starts on 4 October.
Hurry up! The film starts in 20 minutes!

1 Nov 2015

. I was confused because I wasn �t sure which tense should be used after "did you know " ? Thanks a lot for the clarification

1 Nov 2015

ueslteacher

It �s an indirect question and you were wondering correctly why there is no sequence of tenses like in other cases when the reporting verb is in the past BUT we don �t need to change the tense if the original statement was about something that is still true.

1 Nov 2015

To Parsland:

Look who is calling the kettle black:

i think you need to attend a very good high school English language <course?>, you will find your answers at there.

Rudeness is frowned-upon here, please refrain from making such a fool of yourself on our forum.

Thank-you,

Douglas

2 Nov 2015

douglas

take it easy !

what you have marked , there aren �t serious mistakes , it seems that you are not rude, so plz calm and take it easy.

2 Nov 2015

I just don �t like to see negative attacks on the forum; we �ve worked too hard too make this a safe place for teachers to share and seek help without being ridiculed. You openly ridiculed Pretty without provocation, which I find quite offensive.

For an English teacher that is ridiculing another �s language skills, I would say your mistakes are serious (I won �t correct your latest post).

So please let �s try to be nice to each other in the future.

Cheers,

Douglas

2 Nov 2015

I agree with Douglas. What is there not to agree with? If you see that someone has made a mistake (which we are all capable of) or you think they have said or asked something daft, then either send them a pm or do nothing. On here, we support each other.

2 Nov 2015