Everyday Grammar - VOA Learning English Present Tense in 'We Didn’t Start the Fire' - August 17, 2023
Aug 17, 2023
A lively look at present tense uses in a famous song and a modern remake. Fun contrasts between chronological and updated versions of the lyrics. Explanations of present-tense forms, third-person -s rules, and present passive with get. Notes on informal meanings, contractions like can't, and the power of rhetorical questions in lyrics.
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Remake Uses Non Chronological Full Sentences
- The updated We Didn't Start the Fire lists events differently and uses more full sentences than the original Billy Joel version.
- Faith Perlow contrasts Joel's chronological list (1948–1989) with Fall Out Boy's non-chronological 1989–2023 remake to show stylistic change.
Present Tense Conveys Habit Belief And Past Events
- Present tense in the song describes habits, beliefs, and even past events as immediate occurrences.
- Examples include simple present third person forms like Michael Jackson dies and White rhino goes extinct, with -s/-es endings explained.
Form Third Person Present With S Or ES
- Add -s or -es for third person singular in simple present and pronounce -es like /z/ in some verbs such as goes.
- Faith Perlow demonstrates formation rules using Michael Jackson dies and White rhino goes extinct as examples.