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So what do they use? Or what
tense to use when they
talk about schedules? The answer may surprise you. Native
speakers use something simple, the present simple tense, to talk about schedules (or
timetables).
Want an example? Read the conversation between two spies. (But be careful. Why? This is top secret.)
Spy 1: Where’re you going this time?
Spy 2: Hong Kong.
Spy 1: Have you got the details of the flight?
Spy 2: What do you mean?
Spy
1: I mean, like, what time does the
plane arrive at Hong Kong?
Spy
2: It arrives at 11:00 .
Spy 1: So, who’s gonna pick you up?
Spy 2: Mr Snowden. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, but why? Why do they
use the
present simple to talk
about schedules? Well, you may
think of schedules as some kind of facts. Facts? What are
facts? Read the example below: 'Being a spy is dangerous'.
That is, we
use the present
simple to talk about
facts. And for
native speakers of English, they ‘treat’ schedules as a kind of facts. So they use
the same tense for both facts and
schedules. In other words, unless there are, for example, some kind of disasters, the schedules are true.
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Well, what do I mean by schedules (or timetables)? In daily English, there are usually 3 types of ‘schedules’.
a. Travel
arrangements (or itineraries), for example, The next flight to Hong Kong leaves at 14:30.
c. Public
events, for example, There is an exhibition of spies on Wednesday.
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Post on Future (1)
Post on Future (2)
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Pic Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nazareth_college/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilylaurel/8504897628/sizes/h/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonofgroucho/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quimbo/2486054640/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilylaurel/8504897628/sizes/h/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonofgroucho/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quimbo/2486054640/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/s2ublack/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/
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