Present Tense in 'We Didn't Start the Fire'
2023-08-18
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1The band Fallout Boy recently released a version of the song, We Didn't Start the Fire.
2The song was first released in 1989 by the singer/songwriter Billy Joel.
3Joel's song was about notable events and people in the United States and throughout the world from the years 1948, when Joel was born, to 1989.
4More than 30 years have passed since then.
5Now, Fallout Boy remade the song to include events from 1989 to 2023.
6Joel's song was in chronological order, meaning the events are presented in the order in which they took place.
7Fallout Boy's version is not chronological.
8Another difference between the two is Fallout Boy's remake uses more full sentences.
9Both songs are mainly lists of people, places and events that many Americans are likely to remember.
10In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the different ways that the present tense is used in the song and some additional grammar points.
11We use the present tense not only to describe action happening now but to talk about habits and repeated actions.
12The present tense is also used to talk about beliefs that people hold now and are likely to continue to have in the future.
13The updated song moves back and forth between more recent events and events many years ago.
14Sometimes, events from the past are described using the present tense. Here is an example:
15Michael Jackson dies. (3rd person singular, simple present tense)
16To form the simple present tense, we use:
17Subject + base verb + the rest of the sentence.
18Make sure to add an "-s" to the base verb with the third person singular form ("he," "she" or "it").
19With some verbs that end in letters like "o," "z," or a combination of some consonants, we add an "-es" ending to the third person singular, as in "goes" from this line in the song.
20White rhino goes extinct.
21Here the use of "go" in the 3rd person present tense is an informal way to say "becomes" extinct.
22It is also worth noting that the "-es" ending sounds like /z/ rather than /s/.
23In the song, we see the modal verb "can" in the negative with a contraction.
24I can't take it anymore.
25"Can't take it anymore" is an expression, meaning that you are not able or refuse to accept something that is difficult or bad in some way.
26The song even uses the passive voice in the present tense with the verb "get" in place of the auxiliary or helping verb "be."
27Trump gets impeached twice.
28To form the passive:
29Subject + form of the verb "be" (or "get')+ past participle of transitive verb + rest of the sentence
30Next the band refers to the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11th, 2001.
31World trade, second plane, what else do I have to say?
32The question, "what else do I have to say?" can also be found in the first version of the song.
33This question is rhetorical, meaning an answer is not expected.
34Instead, the question is asked to have a dramatic effect on the listener.
35The question does not need an answer because it is only asked to prove a point or an argument.
36This question means: "There is nothing more to say because I have said everything necessary."
37In today's Everyday Grammar, we looked at the use of the present tense in the song We Didn't Start the Fire.
38We also considered rhetorical questions and passive voice and even the modal verb "can."
39I'm Faith Pirlo.
1The band Fallout Boy recently released a version of the song, We Didn't Start the Fire. The song was first released in 1989 by the singer/songwriter Billy Joel. 2Joel's song was about notable events and people in the United States and throughout the world from the years 1948, when Joel was born, to 1989. 3More than 30 years have passed since then. Now, Fallout Boy remade the song to include events from 1989 to 2023. Joel's song was in chronological order, meaning the events are presented in the order in which they took place. Fallout Boy's version is not chronological. 4Another difference between the two is Fallout Boy's remake uses more full sentences. Both songs are mainly lists of people, places and events that many Americans are likely to remember. 5In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the different ways that the present tense is used in the song and some additional grammar points. 6Present tense 7We use the present tense not only to describe action happening now but to talk about habits and repeated actions. The present tense is also used to talk about beliefs that people hold now and are likely to continue to have in the future. 8The updated song moves back and forth between more recent events and events many years ago. Sometimes, events from the past are described using the present tense. Here is an example: 9Michael Jackson dies. (3rd person singular, simple present tense) 10To form the simple present tense, we use: 11Subject + base verb + the rest of the sentence. 12Make sure to add an "-s" to the base verb with the third person singular form ("he," "she" or "it"). 13With some verbs that end in letters like "o," "z," or a combination of some consonants, we add an "-es" ending to the third person singular, as in "goes" from this line in the song. 14White rhino goes extinct. 15Here the use of "go" in the 3rd person present tense is an informal way to say "becomes" extinct. It is also worth noting that the "-es" ending sounds like /z/ rather than /s/. 16In the song, we see the modal verb "can" in the negative with a contraction. 17I can't take it anymore. 18"Can't take it anymore" is an expression, meaning that you are not able or refuse to accept something that is difficult or bad in some way. 19The song even uses the passive voice in the present tense with the verb "get" in place of the auxiliary or helping verb "be." 20Trump gets impeached twice. 21To form the passive: 22Subject + form of the verb "be" (or "get')+ past participle of transitive verb + rest of the sentence 23Next the band refers to the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11th, 2001. 24World trade, second plane, what else do I have to say? 25The question, "what else do I have to say?" can also be found in the first version of the song. This question is rhetorical, meaning an answer is not expected. Instead, the question is asked to have a dramatic effect on the listener. The question does not need an answer because it is only asked to prove a point or an argument. This question means: "There is nothing more to say because I have said everything necessary." 26Final thoughts 27In today's Everyday Grammar, we looked at the use of the present tense in the song We Didn't Start the Fire. We also considered rhetorical questions and passive voice and even the modal verb "can." 28I'm Faith Pirlo. 29Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 30______________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32habit - n. something a person does regularly in a repeated way 33consonant - n. a speech sound (such as /p/, /d/, or /s/) that is made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air breathed out from the mouth 34extinct - adj. describing a species that no longer exists 35informal - adj. suited for ordinary or everyday use 36contraction -n. a shortened form of a word 37passive voice - n. a way of writing or speaking that uses passive verbs where the subject receives the action of a verb 38impeach - v. to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office 39transitive verb - n. a verb that takes a direct object 40refer to -v. (phrasal) to talk about or mention something 41dramatic - adj. striking in appearance or effect 42__________________________________________________ 43What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com or leave us a comment below. 44We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 45Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.