What does 1) Last week, while I was listening to the news, I heard that pollution (is or was?) now a major problem in several countries.
2) Last Saturday, I decided to drive to Central City, This (is or was?) a small mountain town west of Denver. mean?

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Answers

isthmus_x

16 January

English (UK)
English (US)

@Immortality2021

Is, times two

The pollution STILL is a problem

Central city STILL is a small mountain town west of Denver

It can be tricky to know whether you should use is or was –

– I spoke to him on the phone, and he said that Bill was getting ready for the rodeo

Now, it is entirely possible that Bill is still getting ready for the rodeo right now…. but The speaker has chosen to only reference what the person told him on the phone, and what was currently true at that time of speaking on the phone. This is completely okay and very normal.

However, it would sound weird if you said that central city WAS a small mountain town… Even though you heard this news in the past, any reasonable person would think that it is still a small mountain town west of Denver.

So… You’ve just got to use your common sense. What makes more sense when I tell the story? The way it was told to me in the past, or the ongoing facts in the present?

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Immortality2021

16 January

Persian

@isthmus_x thank you for your nice explanation, in relation to the subject another question struck me;

if someone enters a room a sees someone else there, which of the sentences can he rationally say:
1)I didn't know you were here
or
2)I didn't know you are here

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isthmus_x

16 January

English (UK)
English (US)

@Immortality2021

In this case, it makes more sense to put everything in the past – I didn’t know that you were here. What you are really saying is – until a couple of moments ago when I saw that you were actually here, I had no idea that you were.

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Immortality2021

17 January

Persian

@isthmus_x thanks a million for meticulously analyzing the sentence sub meaning, for more clarity according to what you said,
if someone sees their colleague on the street with his son after introducinghe should say(while the boy is present): Oh,really? I didn't think he was your son.

that he really says: until some seconds ago that you said he was your son, I had no idea that he was. have I correctly understood the point of view?

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