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Sequence of Tenses: Why the Second Clause Follows the First
A complex sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause, and the tense of one often depends on the other. This is called the sequence of tenses, and it is one of the most reliable sources of error-spotting and fill-in-the-blank questions. The core idea is simple: if the main verb is in the past tense, the verb in the subordinate clause is normally pulled into a past form as well. 'He said that he was tired' is correct; 'He said that he is tired' sounds wrong unless the tiredness is still true and being stressed. If the main verb is present or future, the subordinate verb can take any tense that suits the meaning. This short sets out the main rule, then the exceptions that exam writers love: universal truths, comparisons with than and as, purpose clauses, and earlier actions.
1. Fill in the blank: The doctor said that the patient ______ better.
2. Fill in the blank: The teacher told the class that the Earth ______ around the Sun.
3. Fill in the blank: He worked hard so that he ______ pass the examination.
4. Fill in the blank: By the time the police arrived, the thief ______.
5. Fill in the blank: Hardly had she entered the room ______ the phone rang.
6. Choose the correct sentence.
7. Fill in the blank: It is two years ______ he left the city.
8. Fill in the blank: Rahul is much taller than his father ______ at his age.