one sentence, two verbs?

[leemariet]

Does anyone know the correct verb tense on the statement:

"Today we are going fishing", Anansi said.

"Said" is past tense, "are going" is future. I want valid english language rules to support the argument, since the teacher only marked "present tense" as the correct answer on the quiz.

[OddThomas]

I don't know which of your two verbs the teacher marked "present tense."

Today we fish is not good English. True, is it grammatically correct, but it sounds like a foreign language statement translated into English.

Anansi says is too immediate. It is grammatically correct, but this kind of phrase is used in movie scripts, not in conversation.

The sentence "Today we fish," Anansi says, is very primitive English, and poor conversation. It is only fit for English language training text books, as an exercise. I am sorry, but I cannot agree with your teacher. I like your sentence a whole lot better. :)

[Marius Hancu]

Do I miss something here, was the original post edited?

I can't find teacher's version.

[Bridget]

The sentence "Today we fish," Anansi says, is very primitive English, and poor conversation.

Today we sow: tomorrow we reap!

C'mon, OT. You need to offer a clearer explanation.

More:

'Santerre was about to protest but Mandeville dismissed him with a curt move of his gloved hand. "These matters will wait!" he snapped. "Today we hunt, tomorrow we go."'

Source: The grail murders. Clynes, Michael. London: Headline Book Pub. plc, 1993

[Pete]

Does anyone know the correct verb tense on the statement:

"Today we are going fishing", Anansi said.

"Said" is past tense, "are going" is future. I want valid english language rules to support the argument, since the teacher only marked "present tense" as the correct answer on the quiz.
I think you have to distinguish between the name of the tense and the time that the verb refers to. Of course "said" is the simple past tense of "say". In this sentence, it refers to a time in the past from the point of view of the author or reader.

The verb "are going" is the present progressive tense, also known as the present continuous tense, of "go". In the quotation part of the sentence you gave, from the point of view of the speaker Anansi, this present progressive verb indeed refers to a future happening, one that people have agreed to or planned. However, most people don't change the name of the tense simply because it refers to a particular time that is different from the time implied by the name of the tense. If your teacher regularly does change the name of the tense in that situation, you have a chance to argue your point.

[MrPedantic]

C'mon, OT. You need to offer a clearer explanation.

...

'Santerre was about to protest but Mandeville dismissed him with a curt move of his gloved hand. "These matters will wait!" he snapped. "Today we hunt, tomorrow we go."'

Source: The grail murders. Clynes, Michael. London: Headline Book Pub. plc, 1993


It is worth noting that The Grail Murders is set in 1522; the curt Mandeville is (as one reviewer puts it) Cardinal Wolsey's "prince of spies".

The present progressive is not very common in what remains of Tudor English, compared with the present simple; no doubt your author chose the latter for reasons of approximate linguistic verisimilitude.

MrP

[Bridget]

The present progressive is not very common in what remains of Tudor English, compared with the present simple;

This was OT's statement. Do you agree with it?


The sentence "Today we fish," Anansi says, is very primitive English, and poor conversation.

[MrPedantic]

This was OT's statement. Do you agree with it?

If an interlocutor consistently used the present simple where one would have expected a progressive form, yes: his English would have a rudimentary air.

The notable exception would be a fictive Italian-American mafioso.

MrP

[Bridget]

If an interlocutor consistently used the present simple where one would have expected a progressive form, yes: his English would have a rudimentary air.


Didn't see any mention of "consistently" in OT's comment.

[MrPedantic]

Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum.

MrP

[ilikehere]

Does anyone know the correct verb tense on the statement:

"Today we are going fishing", Anansi said.

"Said" is past tense, "are going" is future. I want valid english language rules to support the argument, since the teacher only marked "present tense" as the correct answer on the quiz.

---
With the mark " ... " (quote) the sentense must be in the past even happened many years ago. Always in the past (with quote mark)

Another same example:
"I will travel Asia in the next year" Lee said.

[Marius Hancu]

---
With the mark " ... " (quote) the sentense must be in the past even happened many years ago. Always in the past (with quote mark)

Another same example:
"I will travel Asia in the next year" Lee said.

More bad English:

>the sentense must be in the past even happened many years ago

the facts in the sentence must be in the past, [COMMA] even happened many years ago

Another similar example:
"I will travel in Asia next year," [COMMA] Lee said.

See in published books:
90 on "will travel * next year"
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22will+travel+*+next+year%22&btnG=Search+Books

Stop teaching others, you're not at the level required.

[OddThomas]

Can we at least go to Manchester?

[ghoti]

Hi leemariat - this topic seems to have gone a bit off topic.
"Today we are going fishing" Anansi said.
Is quite correct grammatically and probably the form generally used.

"Today we are going fishing" Anansi says.
This is also quite correct.

However, I feel that your teacher was giving you a test on changing the past simple tense to present simple tense. In this case, "Anansi says" would be the correct answer. However, the "Today we are going fishing" does not change because this a repition of the actual words which Anansi said.