Being done Quote by Amrom Harry Katz
“Try to find the real tense of the report you are reading: Was it done, is it being done, or is something to be done? Reports are now written in four tenses: past tense, present tense, future tense, and pretense. Watch for novel uses of CONGRAM (CONtractor GRAMmer), defined by the past imperfect, the present insufficient, and the future absolutely perfect.”
About This Quote
Source Academic article: “Temporal Language in Reporting,” 2023
Understanding verb tenses clarifies whether events are completed, ongoing, or pending, crucial for accurate interpretation.
In simple terms: Identify tense to grasp event status.
Key Takeaway
Pay attention to verb tense.
Themes
language
tense
reporting
clarity
analysis
Mood
informative
analytical
Type
educational
technical
When to use this quote
- journalism
- legal documents
- academic research
- business reporting
Key Concepts
linguistics
communication theory
critical reading
Questions to Reflect On
- How does tense affect meaning?
- What are common tense mistakes?
A Different Perspective
Misinterpretation can cause errors.
![“Indeed, he [Augustine] wrote, what we call three tenses are only one. Past, present, and future don't exist per se; they are all present in the mind - in our current memory of past events, in our current attention to the present, and in our current expectation of what's to come. "There are three…” quote by Alan Burdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9f6/alan-burdick-76176_past-present_indeed-he-augustine-wrote-what-we-call-t_1696286.jpg)
